Keith’s blue lamp will shine bright forever, says colleague in tribute
HERE IS an abridged eulogy to Pc Keith Palmer, read by his friend and colleague Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer at Southwark Cathedral:
I am stood in front of you now with mixed emotions as I speak on behalf of the many who knew Keith and worked alongside him. As they are, I am full of sorrow at his passing, yet feel honoured and humbled to have known him and to be given the privilege to speak to you all, of the Army Reserve service of Bombardier Keith Palmer and the distinguished police service of Constable Keith Palmer.
At 18 years of age, Keith joined HQ Battery 100 Regiment in the Army Reserve. He started in the Signals before moving to the Radar Troop.
Keith’s dedication and commitment would see him promoted to Bombardier, and he stayed in close contact with many of the friends he made during that time.
He worked hard in the Army Reserve and would show the same commitment and dedication that was at the forefront of his police career that would follow.
Sir Robert Peel, founder of British policing as we know it, said in one of his Nine Principles of Law Enforcement in 1829, and which still stands true today, that police officers should aim to achieve the following: “Ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of society without regard to their race or social standing; ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour; and ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.”
That statement is a reflection of Keith’s service – and as we know, on Wednesday 22nd March, Keith made that ultimate individual sacrifice to protect others.
Keith applied for the Metropolitan Police because he wanted to make a difference – because he wanted to make London a safer and better place for all. He had served in the Army Reserve for some time and was ready for a new challenge.
It was at Bromley in 2005 that I would first meet Keith. I was a custody sergeant and Keith, as a proactive officer, was a regular visitor to the charge room with his prisoners.
My early recollections of Keith, are of a hardworking, professional, honest, kind and caring person.
He made some very close friends and, speaking to them earlier this week, they recalled how he would often talk proudly of his family and the other love in his life – Charlton Athletic Football Club – where Keith was a long-standing season ticket holder.
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.
In 2015 alone he made in excess of 150 arrests and achieved the great honour of being nominated by our department for the Commissioner’s Excellence in Policing Awards as Top Thief Taker of the Year.
And he was selected from a department of 1,100 officers. No other officer was even close to this incredible achievement.
How much safer did Keith make London, and how many victims saw justice being rightly served as a result of Keith’s hard work?
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.