Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about National Police Remembrance Day to remember those police officers who have lost their lives serving the community. On 29 September each year thousands of people across Australia stopped to pay tribute to the members of the police force who have lost their lives and to offer support to their families. I felt compelled to speak here today because I proudly served my community as a police officer for 25 years, reaching the rank of sergeant.

I joined the New South Wales Police Force in October 1985, graduating from class 216. My career in the police force was very rewarding, but as an officer I had to deal with many challenging and confronting situations. I will never forget my first autopsy, my first deceased person or the first fatal motor vehicle accident that I attended—and having to tell loving parents their only child had been killed in that accident. During my time in the New South Wales Police Force I saw firsthand the devastating effects the death of a colleague can have on their family, friends, other police officers and the entire community in which they serve. A death within the force is a solemn reminder of the dangers our police face and the risks they must take every time they go to work to keep our communities safe. Like any member of the emergency services would know, it takes a great deal of courage to leave your own family behind to protect those you have never met each time you go to work. When an officer is killed in the line of duty there is no telling how many police officers are affected from all over Australia. Many officers reconsider the risks they take every day and their family members they would leave behind if something were to go wrong.

The camaraderie in the police force is second to none. That is why so many police officers and former members of the police force will stop to remember their fallen comrades on 29 September. Even if they do not personally know an officer who has been killed, they know how easy it could be for a day at work to turn into a horrible nightmare for themselves or their colleagues. It was great to see more than 900 police officers take part in the Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance on the weekend. Officers travelled from the Police Wall of Remembrance at the Domain in Sydney to the National Police Memorial in Canberra. As they travelled south, they were joined by police officers from Australia's other states and territories. The ride is a great tribute to those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the community. It not only commemorates the sacrifice made by the fallen officers but raises money for the loved ones they have left behind.

Earlier this year I spoke about two courageous police officers who were killed whilst on duty. Detective Senior Constable Damien Leeding was killed after responding to an armed robbery and hostage situation on the Gold Coast in May this year. Constable Leeding was described by his family and peers as a great father, a top bloke, a larrikin and a hero. His death had a devastating impact on the Gold Coast community and police officers across the country.

I also spoke about Senior Constable Jim Affleck, a highway patrol officer from my electorate who was run down during a police pursuit along the F5 in 2001. Jim was laying road spikes to stop a stolen vehicle when he was run down at high speed. I remember that day like it was yesterday, as would many others in Macarthur. After his death he was awarded the commissioner's valour award for exceptional bravery. Jim was a dedicated and professional police officer. His death shocked not only the police force but the entire Campbelltown community in which he served.

The deaths of these two officers, as with any police officer killed on duty, demonstrates the danger members of the force put themselves in every day to keep our communities safe. I join many people in the Macarthur electorate who have the utmost respect and admiration for members of the police force. These men and women take great risks every time they go to work. They deserve the utmost respect by the community for risking their lives to protect others.

Macarthur has more than 300 police officers working in the Camden and Campbelltown local area commands serving the local community. These men and women work very hard to fight crime and keep our residents safe. Away from work they are normal people with loving families who have high hopes and dreams for the future. At work they are brave and courageous men and women who do everything they can to protect my electorate. Over the years I have met many of these officers who love their job serving their community in this way but, no matter how much they love being a police officer, they all know the risks and dangers they face every time they put their uniform on.

In New South Wales alone we have lost more than 240 police officers through a variety of causes in the line of duty since August 1803. These include being shot by bushrangers, drowning whilst crossing a creek, being shot by an offender, being assaulted, having motorbike accidents during a pursuit and having other motor vehicle accidents. No matter how they died, it is terribly sad when the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting others are killed whilst doing so.

In the lead-up to National Police Remembrance Day next week my heart goes out to the families of all police officers who have been killed in the line of duty. I offer them my heartfelt condolences. I am sure they share with me the hope that one day society will understand and respect the great undertaking that is required to serve as a police officer. Until then I am sure the brave men and women of Australia's police forces will continue to protect their communities despite the dangers they face and the harsh reality that some may not return home to their families.