It could have been any one of us, anywhere across the UK. A routine call to some unhappy ex throwing stones at windows; only on this occasion he had a shotgun that he blasted at the armed response cop who turned up to rescue two colleagues held at gun point and then himself.

There will be an investigation about guns, body armour; and the tabloid press will be full of the usual (and what a sign of the times that is: to be able to say usual) calls to routinely arm the British police.

For now though, lets just think of the families and colleagues of PC  Richard Gray ripped unexpectedly from their lives. And that’s the hardest thing in circumstances like this, it always comes out of the blue: Stephen Oake, Alison Armitage, Sharon Beshenivsky- I could mention more - all just carrying out their days work and then gone.