Police officers and staff who died on duty are commemorated in a permanent tribute that has been unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum.
The Prince of Wales was among those at a dedication ceremony at the £4.5m monument and garden created at the Staffordshire site, where a minute’s silence was held.
He paid tribute to the “valour and sacrifice” of officers and staff.
The UK Police Memorial is the result of a six-year fundraising campaign.
It is designed to look like a giant door, which is slightly ajar, and represents the threshold across which police officers step every day into potential danger.
The Police Arboretum Memorial Trust said since an early incarnation of professional police in 1749, almost 5,000 officers and staff had died on duty – 1,500 from acts of violence.
“Our expressions of appreciation will always be hopelessly inadequate and, unfortunately, make the anguish no easier to bear,” Prince Charles said.
“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
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