Fallen police heroes remembered

Inspector Anaru Pewhairangi and Constable Stef Graham read out the names of 38 New Zealand Police employees and staff who have died as a direct result of their duties.

A police officer's family extends beyond their partner, children, parents and siblings, those at a special ceremony in Rotorua have heard.

At the annual Police Remembrance Day service yesterday Bay of Plenty police remembered their late "brothers and sisters" in the force.

Every year on September 29, the feast day of patron saint of police Archangel Michael, police staff across the country wear a distinctive huia feather-shaped Police Remembrance pin to remember those who have lost their lives in service.

Constable Murray Stretch was killed in 1999.

The service at the Rotorua Lakes Council chamber was attended by about 100 current police staff, retired officers and other family members. It was led by Reverend Tom Poata and also officiated by Reverend Wendy Showan.

Mr Poata called the police force "family, your brothers and sisters". Among those remembered were traffic officer John Kehoe, who was fatally shot in Whakatane on January 31, 1949, traffic officer Robin Dudding who was shot at Hamurana on April 7, 1986, after being kidnapped at Lake Rotoiti, and Constable Murray Stretch who was beaten to death in Mangakino in 1999 as he tried to arrest a youth who had burgled a local store.

"Days like this are very important to take time out and reflect," said Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne. "Every year there are always some lovely touches, Barry Gibson was killed in New Plymouth in 1977 and his wife was here today for her very first remembrance service."

Inspector Warwick Morehu and Constable Alana Whiteman read out the names of serving and former staff from the Bay of Plenty district who died in the past 12 months.

Inspector Anaru Pewhairangi and Constable Stef Graham read out the names of 38 New Zealand Police employees and staff who died as a direct result of their duties.

For the first time the 29 police officers killed on duty were also officially recognised at the national service.

"Every police officer knows they work in a unique and inherently risky profession," said Police Association president Greg O'Connor.

"Increasingly, police are faced with potentially life-threatening situations even in the course of routine tasks. With so many near misses in recent times we are thankful to not be adding another name to the Memorial Wall."