Merseyside police have arrested two men on suspicion of murdering officer David Phillips, who was killed when he tried to stop a speeding stolen pickup truck.
The men, aged 18 and 30, from the Oxton and Wallasey areas of Wirral, were taken to police stations on Merseyside to be interviewed by detectives.
Officers executed four warrants in the Oxton and Wallasey areas as part of the investigation. Detectives continue to urge the public to come forward with information.
DCS Paul Richardson said: “I would like to thank the public for their overwhelming support. Since the investigation was launched yesterday we have been inundated with calls from members of the public and as a result we are following up a number of positive lines of inquiry.”
Phillips, 34, was hit by the Mitsubishi L200 Challenger as it was being chased by police. The vehicle mounted a central reservation, where he and a young colleague tried to puncture its wheels with a stinger device.
His colleague – an officer with two years’ experience – was able to jump clear and was not injured, but at an emotional press conference Sir Jon Murphy, chief constable of Merseyside police, said Phillips “didn’t stand a chance”.
A Home Office postmortem found Phillips died from internal injuries caused by the impact with the vehicle. As part of the murder investigation, Merseyside police released a picture of the truck, which was stolen during a burglary in Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, at about 1am on Monday. It was found abandoned in Corbyn Street, Wallasey, at 2.55am.
David Cameron, the prime minister, said his thoughts were with the officer’s family and friends. He told ITV: “It is a reminder that, every day, people in our police force, they get up, they put on their uniform and they take extraordinary risks on our behalf. There’s no such thing as a safe day if you are a police officer. We must get to the bottom of how this happened and get the perpetrator and ensure justice is done.”
Murphy said Phillips was a popular officer, held in high regard by his colleagues. “David’s death serves as a reminder of the risks that the men and women of this force, and the other forces in the UK, face in serving the public,” he said. “They come to work, day in, day out, knowing the risks they all face. But their wives, their husbands, their loved ones and their families expect them to come home at the end of their watch. Sadly, David did not and his daughters will have to grow up without their father.”
Phillips’s widow, Jen, and daughters Abigail, seven, and Sophie, three, are being comforted by relatives.
Peter Singleton, chairman of the Merseyside Police Federation, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was confident the killer or killers would be caught. “We will get them,” he said. “There is a steely determination to bring the perpetrators of this hideous act to justice.”
Colleagues have set up a memorial fund in Phillips’s honour and donations can be made online or by text (DAVE01 £(amount) to 70070).
Singleton said: “The entire police family is in mourning at his death, and this memorial fund enables people to donate in Dave’s memory. He was simply doing his job.”
People have placed floral tributes on the grass verge at the edge of Wallasey Docks Link Road North, near the scene of the murder. One card read: “With deepest sympathy to your wife and children, rest in peace. Our thoughts are with all those who love you. From a police officer’s mum and dad.”
A book of condolence has been opened at Wallasey town hall.
On Tuesday morning police remained outside Oxton Estates in Woodhouse Road, from where the Mitsubishi was stolen. Residents said the car was usually parked outside the sales and letting shop and had stickers advertising the business.
Phillips is the first Merseyside police officer to be killed on duty as a result of a criminal act since 1981. The force has thanked people for the messages of support and condolences it has received from across the country.
