ACPO lead on criminal justice Chief Constable Chris Eyre said:

"Police officers place themselves at risk to protect the public. It is absolutely right that this should be taken into account in the sentencing of those who murder police officers in the line of duty. Equally, we recognise that all families should expect that the circumstances under which they have lost a loved one may be taken account when justice is done. Decisions on sentencing are clearly for judges to make and we look forward to these new proposals coming forward."