New Zealand police are paying tribute to the kiwi born officer shot and killed in the UK

Matt Ratana, originally from Hawke's Bay, was shot while detaining a 23-year-old man at a custody centre in south London.

He was taken to hospital, where he later died, and a murder investigation is underway.

Ratana joined the Metropolitan Police in 1991 after moving to the UK in 1989.

He returned to New Zealand in 2003, serving in Auckland City and Counties Manukau until 2008, before returning to the UK.

New Zealand Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says policing is a family and Ratana will always be part of the New Zealand Police whanau.

He says their thoughts are with his friends, family and colleagues.