Remembering fallen officers - National Police Memorial Day 2024

30 September 2024

Thousands of police officers who have died on duty have been honoured at the 21st annual National Police Memorial Day.

Members of the police family gathered in Glasgow on Sunday 29 September, to honour around 5,000 officers who have lost their lives on duty.

The names of those officers who had died in the past year were read out. They are Sgt Graham Saville, of Nottinghamshire Police; Sgt Paul Frear, of West Midlands Police; PC Jack Cummings, of West Yorkshire Police; and Acting Sgt Reece Buckenham, of Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Iain Prideaux, Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: “It’s an enormous honour to be here. It’s my second opportunity to come to the National Police Memorial Day and it’s an opportunity to thank the officers who gave their today for our tomorrow.

“I think the risks that officers take are enormous in modern day policing and the sacrifice that officers make every day is absolutely huge. Over the past few years we’ve lost a number of colleagues on and off duty, and in our own force we’ve only recently lost an officer.

“So I’ve seen, both personally and professionally, the impact of losing colleagues. And thinking about friends and family that support our colleagues as well.

“I’m really very grateful to be here just to say thank you to all the friends and family who are here, and all those officers.”

ACC Jon Cummins said: “It’s a huge privilege for me to be here. It’s my first National Police Memorial Day event, so it means so much to officers themselves, just recognising the effort and commitment that they give each and every day, but the ultimate sacrifice some officers have given to the service.

“But also the family as well, their friends and their families and their colleagues. That enduring support as well, from the wider police family that they have both here, today, and how we mark this event annually.”

During the service, candles were lit for officers in each of the four nations. Lighting the candle for Scotland were Margaret Collins and Helen Cruddis, mother and sister of PC Anthony (Tony) Collins, of Police Scotland, who died on 29 November 2013 aged 43 when a police helicopter crashed into the roof of the Clutha bar in Glasgow.

Lighting the candle for England was Luke Ratana, son of Police Sergeant Matiu (Matt) Ratana, of the Metropolitan Police, who died on 25 September 2020 aged 54 after being fatally shot in Croydon Custody Centre.

Lighting the candle for Northern Ireland was Jill Davidson, wife of Detective Superintendent Philip Davidson, of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, who died on 2 June 1994 aged when the RAF Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre.