Boys pay poignant tribute to grandad cop killed in line of duty
28 July 2021, 06:45
Three boys have paid their respects to the grandfather they never got to meet on the site of a new national memorial to hero police officers killed on duty.
On Wednesday a national memorial is set to be unveiled which honours the courage and sacrifice made by police officers and staff who died while keeping the public safe.
The carefully crafted structure, which has been in the pipeline since 2013, will proudly stand at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, offering family, friends and visitors a poignant spot to reflect and contemplate the service and sacrifice of almost 5,000 officers from across the country who have died while on duty.
The 12-metre high memorial was built to represent the danger faced by the police.
Three young boys have paid their respects to the grandfather they never got to meet – on the site of a new national memorial to hero police officers killed on duty.
In October 2001 West Midlands Police traffic officer Malcolm Walker was deliberately rammed off his bike in Birmingham by a man driving a stolen car.
Now, his relatives Harvey, 10, Reggie, seven, and Riley, five, from Walsall, have visited the memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
His widow Helen Walker told the local newspaper the Express and Star: “The memorial is in a lovely location at the Arboretum – a beautiful, peaceful place where people can go and reflect on the life of loved ones they have lost.
“It is a place where children, grandchildren and future generations can come and honour their heroes and the courageous sacrifice the fallen officers have made to protect the public.”
The memorial will be dedicated during a ceremony attended by dignitaries, senior politicians, representatives from across the police service, alongside the families of those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
