A LASTING TRIBUTE

New Tribute Pages For All Officers on Roll

We are very pleased to announce a new initiative in partnership with the Lasting Tribute memorial website.

The Trust remembers nearly 4,000 fallen officers on our own website and for some time we have wished to include individual tribute pages to better honour and remember each officer but have lacked the resources to do this. Up to now one could only leave tributes on our guestbook, which is also provided by a third party site, but which is very limited.

Now, thanks to Lasting Tribute, for the first time ever, each officer on the Roll has a special page where personal memories and tributes may be left for all to share. The Police Roll of Honour is in a special section of their site where you can browse by police areas or search simply by entering a name.

National Police Officers Roll of Honour

The individual tribute pages have been drawn up entirely from information from the National Police Officers Roll of Honour. The Trust has provided all the initial entries and, while currently most only have basic citations shown, additional information and photos will be added as resources allow or at a family’s request. Any family member not on the Internet may request a copy of their loved one’s tribute page or to have messages left.

At a family's request, we can also arrange to alter, add to, or even remove details of an officer's citation, life story, or photo from a tribute page. It is not our policy to completely delete any officer's record as the information is published by the Trust as part of the National Police Officers Roll of Honour from which no fallen officer’s memory should ever be erased.

However, if a family requests, the information shown will be kept to those details of public record to show only the officer's name, rank and force, age, date and cause of death and any national honours or awards. This minimum record will reflect that published for the annual National Police Memorial Day.

Security of Tributes

We do understand that some families may be wary of their loved one's details appearing on a public tribute site and wish to reassure them the records will be treated as carefully as they are on our own site or any police service's site.

We retain full control over the entries and the site is very secure with all messages monitored by the Lasting Tribute team before publication to prevent misuse. We will personally approve any requests for alterations to an officer's citation or life story.

Additional safeguards include having to register before any messages can be left and enabling families of officers to request removal of any message they are uncomfortable with or even request that no messages at all are recorded.

Although Lasting Tribute is a commercial website, they have committed a large amount of their resources to provide this service to the Trust. Funding is provided by their affiliate links offering services appropriate to a memorial site; there is no cost at all to the Trust or to its users, rather they are helping our charity to raise funds and in addition families may, if they wish, request a link to donate to any other charity of their choice.

As resources allow, we will continue to add individual pages to the Trust site but Lasting Tribute will now complement our work and bring the Roll of Honour, recording the public service and sacrifice of our fallen officers, to a much wider public audience.

We hope you find these new tribute pages a fulfilling experience, we do acknowledge and understand some families
may also find the memories a painful experience but hopefully one that will ultimately bring some comfort in
knowing that others care and a loved one's death and life are remembered in this way for many years to come.

Consultation Feedback

Some of the feedback received so far during our consultation process follows:-

Karin Williams, daughter of the late Edna Williams
whose husband PC Jim Dolan, Hampshire Police,
was killed on duty in a road accident on
2 December 1956, aged 36:-

“I would certainly be honoured to see tributes of the people I loved. I have registered with the lasting tribute page and will write something in memory of mum and Jim. I may not have been Jim's daughter but I am so proud of him....he'll never be forgotten.”

Sue Bishop’s husband Brian, aged 37,
was shot dead on duty in 1984:-

“I think it’s a lovely idea, very tastefully done, I’m sure it will be a help to those left behind to know their loved ones are remembered in this way”.

Sue and Brian’s son, Dave,
himself now a police officer:-

“I think the website is a fantastic idea. The death of our loved ones is something that should be celebrated and the more people who know about my dad, and the great job that the police do and the disastrous results that can occur in our job, the better. Well done.”

Gill Merrin, whose husband Bill, 34,
was murdered on duty in 1993:-

“I have found it to be such a source of joy that Bill is remembered with honour and pride for the sacrifice he made doing the job he loved. Lasting Tribute will be a web site much used by our family. Thank you.”

Sid MacKay’s daughter Nina, 25, was unlawfully killed on duty in 1997:-

"This website is a great complement to the Police Roll of Honour Trust site and may see many more visits from the general public. Having lost our daughter in such dreadful circumstances it is most comforting to know that she has not slipped from the memory of others by the passage of time and that her family and friends may have the opportunity to reflect on her when in life by adding comments which others may share. The wound of her loss will never heal to us but tributes such as these salve the hurt."

Margaret Stafford, mother of Andreas Newbery, 34, killed protecting an accident scene in 2003:-

“I am impressed with the Lasting Tribute website. Andreas' tribute was lovely, thank you Tony, gives me a warm comforting feeling that our loved one is not forgotten. The pain doesn't go away but at least we can now perhaps smile a little when we see their tributes and remember their lives.” 

Terry Spence, Chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland:-

“This website is a lasting and fitting tribute to the men and women of the RIC & RUC GC who paid the supreme sacrifice in service to the community in Northern Ireland. I know our widows and dependants will make maximum use of the 'tributes' page by sharing their personal memories of their loved ones. Once again thank you for taking the time and effort."

Richard Abbott, QPM, Retired Inspector, Royal Ulster Constabulary GC and Police Service of Northern Ireland, police historian and author:-

 “The Lasting Tribute site is uncluttered and easy to use, it has a lot of potential, being in my opinion a fitting place for Family, Friends and loved ones to remember those who were close to them. It’s a site for all, celebrating all kinds of people, from those who sacrificed their lives for others, to those taken after long and courageous battles with illness, to others just taken suddenly. The site's name says it all: a Lasting Tribute. Well Done”

Michael Winner, Chairman of The Police Memorial Trust and The National Police Memorial:-

"I think the new website is an admirable additional way to pay tribute to our fallen police officers."

For more information about Lasting Tribute visit: www.lastingtribute.co.uk/help

To view the Police Roll of Honour tribute pages visit www.lastingtribute.co.uk/police

We value your feedback - please let us know what you think.