Occasional Address - National Police Remembrance Day Service
For The National Police Remembrance Day Service by
Australian Federal Police Commissioner
Mick Keelty APM
Wednesday 29 September 2004
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Your Excellencies, the Governor General and Mrs Jeffery; The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison; ACT Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mr Bill Wood; High Commissioners, Ambassadors and other members of the Diplomatic community - who are all very supportive of the policing community and the work we do - Senators; Members of the Legislative Assembly; former Commissioners; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen and my colleagues in policing.
Today is a day that holds special significance on the national policing calendar, marking both the annual feast day of Saint Michael - the Patron Saint of Police - and also National Police Remembrance Day, which is now in its 16th year.
On Remembrance Day, we join officers across all Australian policing jurisdictions and from Australasia and the South West Pacific region, to pause and honour colleagues whose lives have tragically been cut short in the line of duty over the past twelve months.
It is a day when we also remember the many loved ones of those who have died….people whose own lives have forever been changed with the passing of a partner, father, mother, sibling, workmate or friend. And we are pleased that many of them are gathered here for this service today.
In today's uncertain and unpredictable world, National Police Remembrance Day is taking on even greater significance…as members are increasingly being asked to fulfil roles outside the familiarity and comfort of their home environments - sometimes in incredibly dangerous and difficult circumstances - to protect our community.
When each of us took the oath to become a police officer, we did so knowing that despite the many personal rewards and opportunities that come with the occupation, there is also a degree of risk.
But none of us ever really expects that we - or those who work alongside us - will pay the ultimate sacrifice of life.
Sadly, for some of our colleagues that has been their fate.
In the past 12 months since the last Remembrance Day ceremony was held, six of our colleagues in the region have been killed while performing their policing duties.
Here in Canberra, many of us will be familiar with the name Constable Shelley Leanne Davies. She was a Constable based in Goulburn at the Monaro Local Area Command of the NSW Police Service, with which the AFP has close links.
Shelley was only 27-years-old and a highly promising and popular officer, but tragically her life ended on 19 June 2004 in a motor vehicle accident.
During the year, we also lost colleagues from police services in New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
These latest deaths bring the total number of officers killed in the line of duty in Australasia and the South West Pacific, to more than 120 since 1993.
Although much attention is given today to the heightened level of risk facing those sent to work in new frontiers and to counter new forms of transnational crime such as terrorism…it is important to note that many of the officers killed in the past 12 months, died during routine policing operations.
This serves as a reminder to all of us, that we must remain vigilant about safety when going about our daily business and do what we can to protect each other from potential harm.
As many of you know, policing can be a very difficult occupation. You can be confronted with the best and the worst of humanity on a daily basis.
But the breadth of experience and emotion in policing are what makes it such a rewarding occupation. From saving a life, to diffusing conflicts, solving complex and challenging crimes, working with the community, or even just seeing smiles return to the faces of those we protect…are among the many rewards.
To be a good police officer requires a special calibre of person - someone with a combination of courage and strength as well as a true sense of community, duty and commitment.
The officers we are honouring today exemplified all of those qualities and a great deal more.
They - and their families - made an enormous sacrifice for our benefit, so that we could go on living in a safe and secure environment. On behalf of the community, I extend our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues and give thanks for their contribution to society.
Their memory will live on with the dedication of a special National Police Memorial, which will be located at Kings Park in Canberra's Parliamentary Triangle.
The Memorial will become a lasting symbol to honour the sacrifices and the dangers faced by police.
So today - and every other day - as we remember our fallen colleagues…we must draw strength from their legacy, and continue their good work to successfully confront the many new challenges emerging on the law enforcement horizon.
May they rest in eternal peace.