Police officers remembered nationwide

Australia has paused to remember the almost 750 police officers who have died on the
job since 1803, and thanked those who still risk their lives every day.
Ceremonies to mark National Police Remembrance Day, now in its 22nd year, were held
on Wednesday in every state and territory.
At Kings Park in Canberra, where a plaque carries the names of all 749 police
officers killed on duty in Australia since 1803, representatives of Australasian and
Oceanic police forces attended a twilight service at the National Police Memorial to
honour their fallen colleagues.
They included representatives from New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and
the Solomon Islands.
In Sydney, Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione extolled the men who gave their lives
in the line of duty.
"We pay tribute to these officers, not simply for the way they lost their lives, but
for the way in which they lived their lives," Mr Scipione said at a ceremony in The
Domain.
"Our police swear an oath that they will to the best of their powers keep and
preserve the peace that we enjoy."
Detective Constable William Crews, who died earlier this month, was given a special
mention by the commissioner, and his name is now etched into a marble wall alongside
249 of his NSW colleagues.
The former trainee detective, who was posthumously promoted to detective, died from
a gunshot wound during a drug raid in Sydney on September 8.
His brother Ben, also a police officer, read the police ode during Wednesday's
ceremony.
Wreaths were laid by NSW Premier Kristina Keneally and Opposition Leader Barry
O'Farrell, along with primary school aged students whose parents have died while
serving in the force.
The first name on the wall is that of Constable William Havilland, who was shot
accidentally in June 1862 while on a gold escort.
"Their motivations to protect and serve the community cannot be easily explained to
those outside of the force," Mr Scipione said.
"Every day, as they carry out their sworn duties, risk is a constant companion."
In Queensland, a member of the Rockhampton dog squad was given a special mention by
Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson.
Senior Constable Norm Watt was killed while attending a domestic violence dispute in
2000, and a picture of his dog and grave appeared on the program of a mass held at
St Stephen's Cathedral.
Police horses and the dog squad led a parade of officers and a police bagpipe band
through Brisbane's CBD.
Since the Queensland police was founded, 137 of the state's police have died in the
line of duty.
The 61 South Australian police officers who have died on the job over the past 170
years were also commemorated in Adelaide.
"We cannot bring our fallen officers back, but we can ensure their sacrifice is
never forgotten by honouring their memory," SA Police Minister Michael Wright said.
Meanwhile in Melbourne, Chief Commissioner Simon Overland paid tribute to the 151
Victorian officers killed since 1853.



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