IT hardly need be said that Sharon Beshenivsky's brutally clinical and cold-blooded murder last Friday was a tragedy for her husband and children.
Her youngest daughter, Lydia, who was four on the day her mother died, will have to grow up with each passing birthday blighted by the anniversary of losing her mum.
Pc Beshenivsky's murder has left communities across Bradford - and right across
the country - reeling in shock that such a crime could happen.
Not surprisingly, the shooting, in which her colleague Teresa Milburn was also wounded, has sparked a heated debate about the vulnerability of the officers whose responsibility it is to protect us.
But should we not be deeply concerned by some of the knee-jerk reactions that are emanating from senior serving or retired police officers? It seems to me that their entirely understandable human reactions - to feel utterly appalled by her death and to want to ensure it does not happen to someone else's wife, mother or daughter - are clouding their normally cool and measured judgement.
Norrie Flowers, the chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, yesterday called for rank-and-file officers to be issued with guns so they are better equipped to deal with armed criminals. Mr Flowers made the - rather crass - analogy of comparing this drastic measure to workmen on building sites needing to wear hard hats. But this is not a simple health and safety regulation he is talking about - he is suggesting that hundreds more officers are trained to use and carry live weapons.
Has he considered how much more dangerous our society would become? How many more criminals would arm themselves accordingly? And how many innocent bystanders might get caught in the crossfire?
It is not even six months since Jean Charles de Menezes was shot in a London Underground station after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber. How many more such incidents could we expect? But what is even more worrying than the comments made by Mr Flowers is the disturbing call from Lord Stevens, the former head of the Metropolitan Police, for the return of the death penalty for those who kill police officers.
Even if the Government was to propose the reinstatement of capital punishment, how could they possibly justify that there should be a different penalty for the murder of police officers than the murder of any other member of the public? What about child killers? Or rapists? Are their crimes to be deemed less disgusting than the killing of a cop?
And it cannot be forgotten that capital punishment was abolished with good reason - too many innocent people were sent to the gallows.
No justice system is without its flaws, and there will always be those who are wrongfully convicted. History has also shown us that this was often due to errors made by the police. But at least while these people are kept alive, they can have some chance of proving their innocence. Another interesting aspect of the reaction to Pc Beshenivsky's murder is that is seems so much more extreme than murder of other - male - officers in recent years. She was the first female officer to be shot dead on duty since Yvonne Fletcher was murdered outside the Libyan Embassy in 1984. But 36 police officers have been murdered in Scotland, England, and Wales since 1985.
Much has been made of the fact that criminals don't usually shoot at female officers. But, as with most things in life, women who join the police force don't want any special treatment, and they will not expect it from criminals any more than they would from their colleagues.
It has also been pointed out that Sharon Beshenivsky was a rookie officer, with only nine months' experience. But she was also a mature woman of 38, who chose to join the police, no doubt because she wanted a challenging and worthwhile career.
During her training, she would have been made aware of the potential risks to her safety, however small. But these risks do exist, and they cannot be entirely eliminated.
Do not misunderstand me - her death is a terrible and poignant reminder of the risks that police officers now face. It is entirely right that the police, the Government, and the public consider what further protection could and should be given to officers in the line of duty.
But, please, let us all get some perspective on this so the right lessons are learned.
It's traumatic when celebrities give it their breast shotWE have waited for a whole year, but now it's back! The show that's re-launched the careers of dozens of Z-list "stars" is on our screens for the next fortnight, and millions of us are already sucked in to watching the rumblings in the "I'm A Celebrity . . ." jungle.
I must confess that I'm one of them - the simple reason for this being that while the show might be mince, it is at the same time extremely entertaining mince.
So far I've been cheering on Sheree for jumping out of that plane, laughing at Not-So-Little Jimmy Osmond's teddy - with its hidden cargo of contraband salt and pepper - and fretting over Elaine Lordan's fainting fits.
But one thing has traumatised me more than Carol Thatcher cavorting around in a pair of yellow pants . . . and that's seeing David Dickinson, left, looking rather less than resplendent in a revealing vest.
I think we must congratulate his usual tailor for having managed to disguise the evidence of David's droopy little man boobs for so long.
