A day to pause and remember our fallen officers

Hundreds of people have gathered today to commemorate National Police Remembrance Day and remember NSW police officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian joined Minister for Police Troy Grant and Police Commissioner Michael Fuller APM to reflect on the sacrifices made by our men and women in blue during a ceremony at the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance in The Domain.

“The most important role any of us can play is to serve our community, and our men and women in blue do so in the knowledge that a perilous situation may be just around the corner,” said Ms Berejiklian.

“Behind every serving police officer is a husband, a wife, a mum, a dad, partners and children who accept that their loved ones are giving up their time to serve and protect the community.

“National Police Remembrance Day is our way of acknowledging the dangerous nature of policing and commemorating the contributions of our fallen officers and supporting those they left behind.”

Mr Grant said the community should never take the contribution of our police for granted.

“Every day, our police attend to violent incidents and calls for assistance, not knowing what they are walking into but ready to do their job and protect the community. I am thankful that no officers lost their lives while on duty this year.”

“Today I proudly stand with the entire police family to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of community safety and say to their families, we will never forget them.”

Commissioner Fuller said today’s commemoration reminds us of the dangers that come with the oath to protect.

“Facing adversity on the job is something police officers do daily. These men and women often place themselves in harm’s way, risking their own lives to help others,” Commissioner Fuller said.

“Their determination to protect the community sometimes has tragic outcomes and our duty is to ensure their courage and selfless action is never forgotten.

Earlier this week, a special ceremony was also held at the Service Memorial at the Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills to honour ten sworn and unsworn members of the NSW Police Force who passed away through injury or illness over the past year.