Police Memorial pays tribute to officers killed in the line of duty

A new memorial to police officers who have died while in service has been unveiled by Prince Charles.

Among those remembered at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire are PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes from the Greater Manchester force.

It's nine years since they were ambushed and murdered by Dale Creegan in an armed siege in Hattersley.

PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes Credit: ITV

Their fathers united in their grief to pay tribute to their brave daughters whose lives ended so tragically early.

The memorial is designed to look like a giant door, slightly ajar, through which police pass the threshold from safety to danger every day.

Prince Charles unveiled the memorial which will provide a place of solace for families to grieve.

He told the invited guests during the ceremony: “To those of you with personal experience of the sudden, unexpected and tragic loss of someone in the police service, whether you are here today, viewing from home, or attending one of the many services within your constabularies, I can only offer the assurance of my most heartfelt thoughts and prayers."

He continued: “On behalf of the nation, I would particularly like to express my profound gratitude for the valour and sacrifice of those who have laid down their lives to keep us safe, to remember their families who mourn, and to recognise those who continue to serve in order to safeguard our freedoms.

“Whilst our expressions of appreciation will always be hopelessly inadequate and, unfortunately, make the anguish no easier to bear, I do pray that this memorial will not only provide a hallowed place for us all to pay tribute to each of them, but also the reassurance that those who have given their lives so selflessly will leave a lasting legacy and will never be forgotten.”