The call came through on Pc Andrew Harper’s police radio just before midnight. Suspected burglars had been spotted breaking into a nearby farm. Minutes later, Pc Harper was dead; his body dragged down a country lane and left abandoned in a ditch.

Thames Valley detectives are still piecing together the events that led to their 28-year-old colleague’s death. It is understood that Pc Harper was with a colleague in a marked vehicle when the report came through around 11.30pm on Thursday. The two officers went to the scene, and met a suspicious car travelling down Admoor Lane, near the village of Bradfield.

Pc Harper was an experienced policeman who had performed hundreds of traffic stops. He got out of his car, approached the vehicle and challenged those inside. But something went wrong. The suspect car shot off, dragging Pc Harper behind. One source said the policeman may have been attempting to grab the driver’s keys. In a desperate effort to escape, the driver refused to stop even as Pc Harper was dragged for hundreds of yards along the tarmac. Behind, his colleague pursued in their vehicle.

It was only when the suspect car reached the crossroads and swerved across the A4 that the officer was finally released. He was then hit by another car, it is understood. The suspects fled.