Home Secretary pays tribute to police officer killed in 999 crash tragedy

Pc Andrew Bramma, 32, was responding to an emergency call reporting another accident when his patrol van hit a tree in the village of West Tanfield, near Ripon, at about 7pm on Saturday.

The constable, who was the sole occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene. He leaves a wife and two young sons.

As tributes from across the country continued to pour in yesterday, Mrs May said: “Pc Andrew Bramma’s death is a tragic loss and a reminder of the risks our dedicated police officers face in the line of duty.

“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues at North Yorkshire Police during this difficult time.”

Hundreds of messages of support have also been posted in an online book of condolence on the force website.

A former colleague at Greater Manchester Police, where Pc Bramma worked until four months ago, described him as “the star of our intake” who “easily could have made chief constable one day”.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “All our sympathies and thoughts go out to his family and friends.”