A 30-year-old man has now been arrested in hartlepool on suspicion of murder in connection with an incident on Oxford Road in Hartlepool yesterday evening.

Cleveland Police had been urgently seeking to trace 30-year-old Torbjorn Kettlewell, also known as Ian Kettlewell, from Hartlepool, who they would like to speak to in connection with the murder of a woman on Oxford Road in Hartlepool.

Members of the public had been warned not to approach him, but to contact police on 999 if they see him or know of his whereabouts.

Police are unable to name the victim at this time, but can say that she is a woman believed to be aged in her late twenties and steps are ongoing to formally identify the woman later today.

Officers were called to Oxford Road near to Chaucer Avenue just after 9pm on Friday 3rd August, to a report of a woman with significant injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chief Superintendent Alastair Simpson said: “Firstly, my thoughts and sympathies are with the family of the woman who was tragically killed last night. Specially trained officers are supporting the family at this extremely difficult time.

“As part of our enquiries we would urgently like to speak to Torbjorn Kettlewell, also known as Ian Kettlewell, who is from the Hartlepool area.

He is described as being 6ft tall with ginger hair and a beard. At the time he was believed to be wearing jeans and a grey checked shirt or top and it is possible that he left the area in a red Vauxhall Astra or Insignia type vehicle. I would urge people not to approach him, but to call 999 if they see him.

“Residents in the local area will naturally be shocked by what has happened and I would like to reassure them that we have a dedicated team who are working tirelessly on this case and all the necessary specialist resources are being made available to them.

“Our enquiries so far have led detectives to believe that this was a targeted attack.

“There is a visible police presence in and around the area of the murder. Anyone in the local community who has concerns can approach any of these officers and speak to them about this incident.”

Anyone with information who does not wish to speak directly can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Rank and File officers have voted, and the winner has been announced following a respectful campaign.

The Police Federation has announced the new national federation chair as John Apter, in a historic vote which allowed federation members to vote for their new chair for the first time.

John Apter has now been announced as the Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

John Apter a very prolific tweeter had chaired Hampshire Police Federation was announced as the first National Chair which was voted by frontline police officers, and members of the federation.

A move which could see special constables allowed to join and benefit from Police Federation membership something which Apter has been very public about supporting.

The new voting process to elect a new national police chair was part of reforms following recommendations made within an independent review of the Federations in 2014.

Apter went head to head with Phil Matthews who currently leads on Conduct and Performance within the Police Federation. Matthews ran a respectful campaign. However, the highly profiled Apter stood out to the rank and file membership.

John started his career in policing in 1992, working in response, roads policing and as part of a specialist team investigating road deaths, before being voted in as Chair of Hampshire Police Federation in 2010.

The National Chair plays a key role in the organisation – ensuring members’ welfare and interests are voiced, acting as principal spokesperson and representing the organisation on a national level.

This was the first time members have been able to vote for their National Chair – a big step forward for the organisation.

John will take over from the current Chair Calum Macleod from Wednesday 1 August 2018.