Charles’s leading role in remembering those who gave their lives
THE Prince of Wales is to address the nation ahead of this year’s National Police Memorial Day.
The event, whose patron is Charles, will today also feature Boris Johnson.
The PM will say: “The police officers we remember today represent the very best of us. They laid down their lives to prevent us from coming to harm and we owe them a huge debt. The dedication and selflessness that they showed in serving their communities will never be forgotten.”
The annual event is set to be even more poignant, coming just two days after the murder of Sergeant Matt Ratana at Croydon police station on Friday.
Pre-recorded scenes, due to virus restrictions, are to be shown online at 3pm today.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The tragic killing of Sergeant Matt Ratana this weekweek marked a sad day for our country. It reminds us of the dangers our police officers face each and every day to keep us safe.”
She said it shows why the memorial day “is so important to us all, ensuring that his life and the lives of others who have paid the ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten”.
Lissie Harper, whose husband Andrew was dragged to his death behind a car as s he tried to tackle thieves in n August last year, will be e lighting a candle in memory of f him and other officers.
She is fighting for Harper’s Law, to ensure anyone who kills a police officer and other emergency workers gets an automatic life sentence.
Her campaign began after Andrew’s three killers were jailed for manslaughter not murder.
Also at the event is Ruth Browning, whose husband PC Gareth Browning was killed aged 36. He was hit by a stolen car driven by Luke Haywood on day release from jail. The officer died three years later of his injuries.
Haywood, 34, will be freed this week after serving six and a half years – just over half of the 12-year sentence he received for manslaughter. Ruth, who backs Harper’s Law, said because he was finishing a sentence for earlier burglaries when he drove into Gareth in November 2013 he has effectively only served five years for the manslaughter.
She said: “This is a pitiful sentence for causing injuries that led to a person’s death as a result of reckless driving whilst attempting to evade police and resist arrest.”
Samantha Dixon, 37, a family liaison officer with Thames Valley Police, lost her husband PC James “Dixie” Dixon, aged 39, in a collision while doing police motorbike training in December 2017.
She was heavily pregnant with son Parker and said: “The memorial day is really important because it is something that I can take our son to, who sadly never got to meet his father, and he can remember him in a proud way.”
John Apter, Police Federation national chairman, stressed the day is “incredibly important”. He said: “It’s a day to remember those colleagues we have lost.”