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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Murder case police arrest officer | Murder case police arrest officer |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A policeman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after his partner and fellow officer, died in a car crash in Greater Manchester. | A policeman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after his partner and fellow officer, died in a car crash in Greater Manchester. |
| Claire Howarth, 31, who served with GMP in the Rochdale area, was driving a BMW which crashed on Thursday on Tottington Road, Harwood, where she lived. | |
| Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating whether the officer was attacked before the accident. | Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating whether the officer was attacked before the accident. |
| The arrested officer, 26, is understood to serve with Cheshire Police. | The arrested officer, 26, is understood to serve with Cheshire Police. |
| He is due to be questioned by detectives. | He is due to be questioned by detectives. |
| The pair were not on duty at the time of the crash. | The pair were not on duty at the time of the crash. |
| A police spokesperson said: "The woman was a serving GMP officer who worked in the Rochdale area. | A police spokesperson said: "The woman was a serving GMP officer who worked in the Rochdale area. |
| "Formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place. | "Formal identification and a post-mortem examination are yet to take place. |
| "An investigation has been launched to establish how the victim sustained her injuries." | |
| Claire's family and friends...are absolutely distraught, as we all are Ch Supt John O'Hare, Greater Manchester Police | |
| Greater Manchester Police paid tribute to Miss Howarth, who had just become a constable after being a student officer for two years. | |
| Ch Supt John O'Hare said: "Claire was a really positive officer. She was highly-regarded by all her colleagues and myself. | |
| "Claire had been handpicked to undertake a challenging role as a community beat manager and she was someone I had identified as an officer with the potential to go far in Greater Manchester Police and make a real difference. | |
| "Our thoughts are with Claire's family and friends at this very difficult time and they are absolutely distraught, as we all are." | |
| In November 2008 a member of the public wrote a letter to the force praising Miss Howarth for helping her 12-year-old daughter deal with school bullies. | |
| The woman said Miss Howarth was a "total credit...we feel privileged to have people like her out there looking after us". |