Killed constable's police tribute

More than 100 police officers formed a guard of honour in tribute to murdered special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri at her funeral.

The officers lined the road leading to Golders Green Crematorium in north London, as the funeral cortege arrived.

The coffin was adorned with the Metropolitan Police Service drape and Mrs Patel-Nasri's police helmet.

Mrs Patel-Nasri, 29, was apparently alerted to noises outside her Wembley home when she was attacked on 11 May.

The cortege which had been flanked by police outriders had travelled from her home in Sudbury Avenue, in Wembley, north-west London.

Brent Borough Commander, Andy Bamber, said the service was intended to be a mix between a service funeral and a family funeral.

He said: "The police officers here today, who have come to pay their respects, thought a lot of her. We all did.

Mr Bamber said Mrs Patel-Nasri's death was a "tragic reminder" of the consequences of knife crime.

She died after being stabbed in the leg by her attacker.

Police believe she may have been stabbed with her own kitchen knife as a distinctive stainless steel cook's knife is missing from her kitchen.

Ch Insp Julia Pendry, one of her closest colleagues, was among those to read a eulogy at the service.

"I'm sure that we are all agreed that the police guard receiving Nisha here today was both moving and poignant," she said.

"It is evident by the number of police colleagues here today that Nisha was well liked and popular member of the policing family who will be sadly missed."

No arrests have yet been made despite rewards totalling £40,000 being offered and an appeal on BBC1's Crimewatch.

Two men were arrested yesterday over the murder of special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri.

A 37-year-old man from north London and a 41-year-old man from east London were held in the early hours of yesterday and were being held in custody at separate London police stations.

Detectives have also recovered a light-coloured Audi A4 from a street in south west London, which is believed to be crucial to the inquiry. The car was seen on CCTV being driven in a suspicious manner close to the scene of the murder in Wembley, north-west London, in May.

The men arrested are the first people to be held in connection with the murder of Mrs Patel-Nasri, who died after being stabbed in the leg by an attacker outside her home in Sudbury Avenue, Wembley.
Police are investigating whether she had gone outside in her nightdress to investigate a disturbance, or whether she found someone in her house.

In September, police appealed for information about the car, which was seen close to Mrs Patel-Nasri's home, just before and after the stabbing.

At the time, police said it could have been directly involved in the crime.

The car was seen in Harrowdene Road, which runs parallel to Sudbury Avenue, on two occasions on the night of Mrs Patel-Nasri's death. Just one hour before her murder it was captured on CCTV in Harrowdene Road turning left into East Lane. A few seconds later it reappeared on the CCTV, having apparently performed a U-turn, reversing the manoeuvre and turning back into Harrowdene Road.

Two to three minutes after the stabbing, the vehicle was seen again in Harrowdene Road. This time it pulled over to the side of the road and waited with its headlights on before pulling out towards the same junction with East Lane.

Mrs Patel Nasri was killed with a 30cm (11.8in) cook's knife, which was part of a block set that was missing from her kitchen after the attack.

It was later recovered by police and found to have on it not only her DNA, but also that of her suspected attacker.