Police Association President Chris Cahill is encouraging New Zealanders to this week remember police officers and Police employees who have been killed or died while doing their job.

“Police Remembrance Day is a chance to reflect and honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives to protect their fellow New Zealanders,” Mr Cahill said.

“It is a reminder of the dangers all police officers face on a daily basis, but a danger they are willing to confront for the safety of our communities.”

“It is a sobering occasion for the families and friends of the dead, and current officers and Police employees who attend, and it is extremely important that they all feel supported,” Mr Cahill said.

Police Remembrance Day falls on the 29th of September, the feast day of the Archangel Michael, patron saint of police, and will be observed on Friday 28 September with a service at the Royal New Zealand Police College and in services across the country.

The ceremony includes the reading out of the names of 32 police officers slain on duty, 48 Police employees who died as a result of performing their duties since 1886, and serving employees and former staff who have died in the past year. This year, for the first time, 14 police officers who died during the 1918 Influenza Epidemic will be included in the service.

Police staff, family members and others will wear the distinctive huia feather-shaped Police Remembrance Pin designed by the Police Association as a way for members of Police across New Zealand to feel part of the day.

The pin was introduced in partnership with NZ Police and has been embraced as the symbol of police remembrance in New Zealand.

“The growing number of police and others who wear the pin on Remembrance Day and in the days leading up to it, is a sign of respect for those who have lost their lives,” Mr Cahill said.