Call for Manchester to defy violence

Residents in the Manchester suburb where two police officers were murdered last week in a gun and grenade attack were urged to stand together to defy the forces of violence.

The Rt Rev Mark Davies, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury, told churchgoers in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, that the police force was "the last line of defence against the savagery of the jungle". In a service of prayers in which PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes were remembered, Bishop Davies said: "If our children are not to grow up accepting the murders as commonplace, then the police and the community must stand as one in defence of human life, overcoming whatever obstacles may prevent this trust."

Police have urged members of local families to end a feud which is believed to have led to four murders. Dale Cregan, 29, the man charged with the murders of PCs Hughes and Bone and two other murders and four attempted murders, will make his second court appearance today at Manchester Crown Court via videolink.

A 15-year-old boy who was arrested on Friday on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail until 27 September, pending further inquiries.