West Mercia and Dyfed Powys police officers commemorated on digital memorial

Eight men from West Mercia Police and 14 from Dyfed Powys Police appear on the online memorial so far which was launched today by the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust, in partnership with Twitter UK.

The new memorial, which includes more than 4,200 names, is part of the trust plans to honour the sacrifice of those from the police service who have lost their lives.

It so far features detective constable Barrie Davies, of Dyfed Powys Police, who killed in 2005 when his unmarked police vehicle crashed.

The memorial also pays tribute to Paul John Hetherington, of Dyfed Powys Police, who was one of four detective constables killed in a collision with a lorry whole on surveillance training.

The names go back to the introduction of the Bow Street Runners in 1749.

In 1942, West Mercia Police constable Emlyn James was accidentally killed by a lorry while checking cars after a prisoner of war escaped.

Accessible

It will culminate in the building of the new UK Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire by 2021.

Sir Hugh Orde, chair of trustees said: “When we set out on this ambitious project in 2015, the trust not only wanted to create a physical memorial, but also wanted to create a memorial fit for the modern age.

"A memorial that was not only accessible to the 300,000 visitors a year who visit the Arboretum, but a memorial that is accessible to a global audience.”

The trust will publish names and photographs daily of those police officer and staff who have lost their lives, along with a short citation.

Sir Hugh added: "Our aim was to demonstrate to the public that when a police officer dies they are not just someone in uniform, but that that they are a husband, wife, father, mother, son or daughter."

The memorial can be viewed online at digital.ukpolicememorial.org/remembrance or follow the online tributes on Twitter @ukpmemorial