A massive manhunt was under way in and around Bradford tonight after a young policewoman was shot dead, and a second seriously injured, as they confronted armed robbers in the city centre.

The dead woman was only the sixth female officer to die in the line of duty in the 30 years that women have policed the streets in mainland Britain — and the first to be shot dead since WPC Yvonne Fletcher was killed outside the Libyan Embassy in London in 1984.

Serious questions will now be asked about how the two women, both understood to be young and relatively inexperienced, were exposed to such a high-risk situation.

The women had been called to a robbery at Universal Express, an Asian-run travel agents in Morley Street at about 3.25pm, West Yorkshire police said. The shop is believed to have been targeted because of its stock of foreign currency.

It was unclear last night if the two officers knew that they would be dealing with an armed robbery or if they were wearing body armour.

The precise sequence of events that followed the officers’ arrival on the scene had yet to emerge last night. West Yorkshire police confirmed tonight that the gunmen were still at large.

Amer Khan, a 24-year-old property developer, was eating in a restaurant nearby. He heard a commotion outside and left the restaurant to see people running up and down the road. He spoke to a friend who said that he had seen three men go into the travel agents and rob it.

The friend said that the robbers were confronted by two women officers, shot them, and then ran off. Mr Khan said that he saw a policewoman lying on the ground. "She was wearing a yellow reflective uniform. There were people all around her trying to resuscitate her," he said.

Tom McGhie, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, confirmed that two officers had been shot at the scene. All we know is that shots were fired and that one officer has been shot and killed," he said. Mr McGhie extended his sympathies to the family of the victim.

"It is terrible and my heart goes out to them," he said. "We will be doing everything possible to support that family and her colleagues because I am sure they will be affected by this tragedy."

Mr McGhie added: "Police officers go to work and they expect to go home. Sadly this officer is not going to go home tonight."

Attempts to resuscitate the officers were made at the scene and they were both transported to Bradford Royal Infirmary where one of the women died. It is thought that she was a "probationer" - an officer with less than two years’ service.

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