General News
10 October, 2025
Service to honour police
CLOSE to 100 people attended a memorial service in Ararat recently to remember police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Victoria Police marked National Police Remembrance Day 2025 with a service at Ararat’s Anglican Church.
Parish Priest and Police Chaplain Father Martin Nadarajan said the service was an important way of remembering the service of police.
“In our gathering today, we honour their memory and support their loved ones by words offered, our personal presence, our thoughts and our prayers.
“People tend to forget that behind the uniform there is a person committed to care for all of us,” he said.
Acting Superintendent Jo Janes said the service reflects on the courage of those police members killed in the line of duty.
“The past five weeks have been sobering for our big blue family.
“We’ve wept for our valiant colleagues who will never finish their shift. We come together to remember the sacrifice they made to uphold the right and to serve their community,” she said.
“A national remembrance day for police officers killed in the line of duty encourages police officers and their families to honour the memory of colleagues who have given their lives in service of the community. It focuses public attention on the men and women of police forces around Australia whose responsibilities are to engage public peace and good order. It reminds us of all the difficulties they face,” Acting Superintendent Janes said.
During the service, Sergeant Shane Allgood read out the names of officers who had died on duty across the Australasia region over the past 12 months.
Victora Police is rightfully proud of the effort its members put into National Police Remembrance Day, which has become an important reminder for the general public that at the end of the day, police members are just like everyone else and aren’t immune from tragedy.
“When a police officer is killed in the line of duty the impact is felt across every force in Australia,” said Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush on Monday.
“Today on National Police Remembrance Day and every day, we pay our respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“We honour and remember the 178 Victoria Police officers who put their lives on the line and tragically died while serving and protecting the community.”
At the conclusion of the Ararat service, people were asked to come forward and light a candle in memory of those officers killed in the line of duty.
The service included numerous members of the local community including Ripon MP Martha Haylett, Mayor Jo Armstrong, Cr Teli Kaur as well as representatives of the SES and CFA.
Later in the day, wreaths were placed at the base of the flagpole outside Ararat Police Station.