Tributes have been paid to the “friendly, capable, lovely” police sergeant shot dead in custody suite in Croydon. Sergeant Matt Ratana was known as a “big guy” to his colleagues – “big in stature and big-hearted”, Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick said. He was a “lovely man, highly respected by officers and staff, by the public, including suspects he arrested or dealt with in custody”, she added. The 54-year-old was shot inside Croydon custody centre just after 2am on Friday. The 23-year-old suspect is believed to have then turned the gun on himself and is still in a critical condition in hospital.
Police Sergeant Matt Ratana was ‘Vibrant, bubbly and larger than life’
