Thousands of police and public pay respects to PC Keith Palmer

Officers join around 50 members of the policeman’s family for London service

Murdered PC Keith Palmer has been hailed at his funeral as a “hero” whose “blue lamp will shine bright forever”.

The 48-year-old father and husband was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood as he carried out his duties on the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster.

Around 50 members of PC Palmer’s family, including his wife, child, mother and father, brother and sisters, attended his funeral service at Southwark Cathedral, central London, along with home secretary Amber Rudd, mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the manager and captain of his beloved Charlton Athletic FC, Karl Robinson and Johnnie Jackson.

As many as 5,000 officers from the Metropolitan Police and other forces, including a delegation from the New York Police Department, joined the service or lined the cortege route as members of the public looked on.

Thousands more officers and staff at police stations across the country marked two minutes’ silence at 2pm.

In a eulogy reaching nearly 1,500 words, his friend and colleague Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer told the cathedral’s congregation: “During Keith’s policing service he met and worked alongside many officers and left a positive impression on all. And we will all miss him greatly.

“I know this because over the last couple of weeks so many of these colleagues and friends have told me as much.

“I will close with these thoughts from myself, Keith’s colleagues and friends – his spirit will never leave us and he will remain an inspiration to us all.

“Keith’s blue lamp will shine bright forever. And on behalf of us all we say thank you – Keith made a difference and we will not forget.”

The reading included anecdotes from PC Palmer’s 15-year policing career, including that as a Territorial Support Group officer he made 150 arrests in 2015 alone.

Mr Sawyer said: “Keith was a Depeche Mode fan and would often sing his favourite song at work, I Just Can’t Get Enough, which was relevant to his arrest rate.”

Met commissioner Cressida Dick, the first female head of Scotland Yard in its 188-year history, attended the full force funeral in her first public engagement in her new role.

She read the WH Auden poem Funeral Blues, which begins “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”, and asks for “the traffic police men to wear black cotton gloves” in mourning of a loved one.

Ms Dick told Sky News: “It was chosen by the family – it was a poem they wanted to have read and for me it was an enormous privilege to be asked to read it. It’s a very powerful poem.”

She praised the turnout from police and members of the public, who lined the barriers along the route hours before the funeral began.

Before the service, the Queen gave permission for PC Palmer’s body to rest in Westminster’s Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, an honour normally reserved for senior figures.

Pictures: PA/Getty. The hearse bearing the floral tribute ‘No 1 daddy’ makes its way down a road flanked by police officers.

Police officers gathered near Southwark Cathedral before the funeral service.

Left: Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick and deputy commissioner Craig Mackey make their way towards the cathedral. Right: Mounted police together with other officers and members of the public paying their respects.

An officer holds an order of service.