SCOTLAND\u2019S First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hailed the \u201cincredible bravery\u201d of officers as she opened this year\u2019s National Police Memorial Day in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n
Ms Sturgeon was among 1,200 police officers of all ranks, politicians and families of fallen officers who attended the 12th annual service on Sunday 27 September.<\/p>\n
The event honours all officers who have given their lives on duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach day, right across the country, police officers make an incredible contribution to our communities and we recognise and value the incredible bravery they display as they undertake their duties, often in extremely dangerous situations,\u201d said Ms Sturgeon.<\/p>\n
Police officers remembered this year were PC Kevin Stoodley, of Avon and Somerset Police; PC Russ Wylie, of Humberside Police; and PCs Jonathan Relph and David Arthur, both from the Met.<\/p>\n
Donald Connolly, brother of Lancashire Constable Gordon Connolly, who drowned in 1983, attempting to rescue a member of the public who had fallen into rough seas, aged 24 gave a prayer.<\/p>\n
Tributes were also paid to those who tragically died in the 2013 Clutha helicopter disaster, with a wreath laid in their memory by Police Scotland\u2019s Air Support Unit.<\/p>\n
Ms Sturgeon said: \u201cWe will never forget their courage, and my thoughts are very much with families, friends and colleagues of those who have died. I hope they are reassured and comforted by our continued respect and gratitude for the contribution made by their loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event’s patron Prince Charles was unable to attend this year. However, in a note to the congregation, he said the event gave the country the chance to \u201ccommemorate those brave souls who have given their lives in the service of the public\u201d.<\/p>\n
Prince Charles added: \u201cHistory has demonstrated that our freedom often comes at a price. When difficult situations are encountered, then ultimate protectors of freedom and justice are the brave men and women of our police service.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s service is a poignant reminder of the importance of our policemen and policewomen, and the extreme and complex dangers that they face daily.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the service, prayers were led and candles lit by relatives from Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, in remembrance of their loved ones and officers from throughout the British Isles.<\/p>\n
These included one from Mark Nelis, husband of PC Kirsty Nelis, who died in the Clutha tragedy.<\/p>\n
Home Secretary Theresa May gave a reading and the congregation stood as the Piper\u2019s Lament played, while petals fell in remembrance of lives lost.<\/p>\n
Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, said: \u201cNational Police Memorial Day gives everybody in the police family a chance and opportunity to remember not just our own colleagues who have fallen in the line of duty, but other colleagues up and down all over the United Kingdom, to be with their families and their friends and share their memories. It makes you very, very humble when you hear some of their stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege and it\u2019s an honour to host the event in Scotland once again. I was at the event in Glasgow four years ago and I\u2019m hoping everyone gets as much out of it this year again.\u201d<\/p>\n
National Police Memorial Day was founded in 2004 by Kent Police Sgt Joe Holness, who described it as an \u201chonourable day and a poignant reminder of the dangerous nature of policing\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThis special day gives us the opportunity to come together as a nation to remember our loved ones, friends and colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting the communities they served.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next year\u2019s service returns to London for the first time since the event’s launch.<\/p>\n
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SCOTLAND\u2019S First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hailed the \u201cincredible bravery\u201d of officers as she opened this year\u2019s National Police Memorial Day in Edinburgh. Ms Sturgeon was among 1,200 police officers of\u2026 read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=279"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279\/revisions\/282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lancsfedfocus.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}