Camden Police Constable John Fabrizi died on Sunday 25, January, Police Constable Michael Warren, who was part of the Territorial Support Group, died on Tuesday, 19 January, Traffic Police Community Support Officer Chris Barkshire died on Monday 11 January, and Police Constable Sukh Singh from the Met’s forensic command who died yesterday after contracting COVID-19. In the last 24 hours a Custody Sergeant from Met Detention has also passed away from COVID-19.
Commissioner Cressida Dick, said: “I’m deeply saddened by the news that in recent days and weeks COVID has taken five of our colleagues from us. Policing is a family and the scale of our loss is truly shocking. My deepest condolences are with the families, friends and colleagues of Police Constable John Fabrizi, Police Constable Michael Warren, Traffic Police Community Support Officer Chris Barkshire, Police Constable Sukh Singh, and our colleague from Met Detention, who will be named soon.
“They are the most recent Met police victims of this awful virus and we miss them, as we do our three colleagues, Public Access Officer Ramesh Gunamal, PCSO Charles Harding and Call Operator Sophie O’Neill, who died last year earlier in the pandemic and who we continue to grieve for.
“COVID has had a devastating impact on so many people across not just in London but the whole country. As this recent awful news shows, policing is not immune and it is inevitable that our officers and staff in fighting crime, responding to emergencies, and just in living within their communities will come into contact with the virus. Police officers and many of our staff cannot fight crime or protect the vulnerable by working at home.”
