Officer 'took overdose' on isle

Pc Rhydian Boast was on a week's holiday in Greece

An officer with South Wales Police who was found dead on the Greek island of Kos had taken a drug overdose, it is believed.

Pc Rhydian Boast, who was 28 and from Caerphilly, apparently left a note saying he did not want to live anymore.

He had arrived on the island with four friends last weekend, but was found dead on the beach early on Wednesday.

The death is not being treated as suspicious. His force has paid tribute, saying Pc Boast made a real difference.

The police officer is believed to have taken an overdose of heart drugs belonging to a friend.

Police on Kos said Pc Boast's four companions on the holiday - two men and two women - were "devastated".

Rhydian was a highly respected officer and made a real difference through his work Ch Supt Josh Jones

All five arrived at their four-star hotel on Saturday and were due to stay for a week.

Hotel manager Dionissis Tsiligiris said: "They were having a good time like all the other guests - there was nothing unusual about them.

"But at 6am on Wednesday morning I had a call to say a guest had been found dead on the beach.

"An ambulance was called and people thought it was a heart attack.

"But the police arrived soon afterwards and said he had taken his own life.

'In shock'

"They told me a note had been found saying the man has taken pills and that he didn't want to live anymore.

"We were later told he was a police officer which is even more of a shock."

Police have interviewed Mr Boast's four friends at the hotel.

Pc Boast, who was not married, was a member of the neighbourhood policing team in Cardiff city centre.

Ch Supt Josh Jones from the South Wales force said: "Rhydian was a highly respected officer and made a real difference through his work with the city centre neighbourhood policing team.

He described Pc Boast as "very popular" and his death was a "huge loss to the division".

"I accompanied Rhydian on patrol recently and was extremely impressed by his knowledge of his patch and the community spoke very highly of him."

A police spokeswoman said they were still waiting for details of the death. She added: "Everybody knew him and he was well liked".

Pc Boast's four friends have now flown home.

Friends paid tribute on social networking websites where they spoke of their shock at the Pc's sudden death.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said it was providing consular assistance.