Federation backs plans for online police memorial
19 October 2022
Police chaplain David Wilbraham addresses the congregation at a service in the summer which marked the first anniversary of the unveiling of the UK Police Memorial. Photo courtesy of Anderson Photography.
West Mercia Police Federation chair Sarah Cooper has backed plans for a digital memorial website for police officers who are killed in the line of duty.
The Police Arboretum Memorial Trust envisages the site as an online companion to the UK Police Memorial which it helped establish at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
It would record the names of fallen officers and carry tributes and personal stories, including interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, as well as news archives and personal photographs.
Sarah said: “I am always struck by the bravery of colleagues in putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. Sadly, and tragically, some of our men and women in uniform never get to go home after their shift and it is so important that their sacrifice is never forgotten. So I welcome the digital memorial as a way of keeping their memory alive and providing some comfort to the loved ones of those officers.”
She added: “I know the trust is keen to receive feedback from members and from the public to help evolve the website. So, I would really urge colleagues to take a couple of minutes to complete their online survey.”
The chair of the Police Arboretum Memorial Trustees, Martin Hewitt, said: “We are at a crossroads as we embark on the next phase of this exciting project and our development of the digital memorial. Your views really do count as we create a fitting online tribute to our police service, and I would encourage everyone to complete the online survey.
“Working with our partner, the Police Roll of Honour Trust, the digital memorial will give visitors access to the records of almost 5,000 police officers who have dedicated their lives to policing, from as far back as the Bow Street Runners in 1749.”
