Thames Valley Police has paid tribute to an officer who died after he was shot multiple times in the line of duty.

Detective constable Ian Coward QPM was fatally wounded when he was shot nine times whilst attempting to arrest an armed suspect on this day in 1971.

Mr Coward was on patrol in Reading town centre when he saw a car driving erratically.

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He stopped the vehicle and radioed for assistance but two men emerged from the car and shot him at almost point blank range.

The car had been used to steal guns and ammunition from a private school in Croydon.

The 28-year-old detective died of his injuries a month later and was posthumously awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Gallantry.

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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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