Updated 16.01

TWO UNARMED POLICE officers have died after being shot in Greater Manchester while carrying out “routine” duties in the Hattersley area of Tameside.

One of the officers died at the scene, while the other passed away later in hospital. They have been named as 23-year-old Nicola Hughes and 32-year-old Fiona Bone.

Shortly after the shootings, Dale Cregan – who was already wanted in connection with two counts of murder – was arrested after he turned himself in to a police station in Tameside.

Cregan, 29, was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a police officer and on the suspicion of the murder of a father and son, David Short and Mark Short, in two separate attacks earlier this year. He has been the subject of a nationwide search since the summer, with a £50,000 reward being was offered to anyone who could give information about his whereabouts.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of a second police officer following an incident in Tameside this morning. A long and dark shadow has been cast across Greater Manchester and my thoughts are with the officers’ family, friends and colleagues.”

He added that investigators would do everything they could to support the loved-ones of the victims over the coming days and weeks.

The Home Secretary Theresa May said it was “a shocking incident and reminder of the risks police face every day top keep us safe”. She said her thoughts were with the officers’ families and colleagues.

-With additional reporting by Sinéad O’Carroll