Police officers and staff and members of the public are being urged to support the creation of a new memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) at Alrewas, Staffordshire, pictured.
The memorial will be inscribed with the names of over 1400 officers and staff from the police who have died from injuries sustained while carrying out their duties.
College of Policing CEO, Chief Constable Alex Marshall, said: “Officers and police staff do an incredibly difficult job and this project is about creating a lasting legacy for those who have lost their lives while serving our communities. The new memorial will be a fitting and respectful tribute to our fallen officers and staff. Like many within the police service I am donating and would encourage others to support this inspirational project.”
The UK Police Memorial will see:
• A physical memorial established, set in a beautiful landscaped garden, inscribed with the names of the police officers and staff who have died from injuries sustained whilst carrying out their duties.
• The first memorial in the world to merge a physical and digital presence, which will tell the story of policing and those behind the badge who have paid with their lives.
• The development of a programme for schools and colleges to inform pupils and students about the history of the police and the part it plays in society.
• Help to foster a greater understanding and reconnection between the police service and the public.
• The creation of a special place where the names of officers and staff who may be killed on duty in future years can be added and remembered.
• The establishment of a Living Memorial fund that can support the families of officers and staff killed on duty.
Chair of the UK Police Memorial Trust, former PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde, said: “PC Keith Palmer’s death has put greater emphasis on the need to create a place where the nation can honour and commemorate our police service and where family, friends and colleagues of those killed on duty can go to carry out personal acts of remembrance. The NMA is the place where the nation can go to remember our services and the men and women who have been killed in the course of their duty for their country.
“We need to establish a fitting memorial that recognises the vital contribution that policing makes to our society and acknowledges the courage and sacrifice made by police officers and police staff who have paid the ultimate price. That tribute must become part of the fabric of our national life.”
You can donate online; at https://www.ukpolicememorial.org/donate/.
Pictured; a memorial at the NMA to the Civil Defence Corps.
