National Police Rememberance Day
POLICE officers who have lost their lives on duty will be honoured by their colleagues and the wider community today as part of National Police Remembrance Day.
While the day is officially observed on September 29 – the feast day for the patron saint of police, Saint Michael – ceremonies will take place today because it falls on a weekend this year.
This year’s occasion is especially poignant in the northern region given the murder of Tamworth highway patrol officer Senior Constable David Rixon in March.
He was the 251st police officer to die while on duty in NSW since 1862.
Respects will also be paid to Sabine Altmann, the domestic violence coordinator for the Western region, who died in a car accident last October.
Oxley Local Area Command (LAC) will mark the day with a ceremony at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Tamworth from 11am today.
A service will also be held in Glen Innes at St Patrick’s Catholic Church by New England LAC chaplain Father Anthony Koppman at 10am, following a police march from the station.
Ms Altmann and Constable Bill Crews, a former Glen Innes man who was shot and killed on duty in Sydney in 2010, will receive special acknowledgment.
In Moree, a ceremony will be held at St Francis Xavier’s Church from 11am for the Barwon LAC and community.
“National Police Remembrance Day services ensure that officers who have lost their lives protecting the community will never be forgotten,” Acting Superintendent Steve Laksa said.