Queensland Police Service (QPS) motor-cyclists have resumed the annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance to Canberra after a pandemic-induced break of two years.
The Ride is a nationwide event to honour police officers who have been killed on duty, or who have died as a result of their duties, ahead of National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September.
Riders accepted the symbolic Commissioner’s Baton from Commissioner of QPS, Katarina Carroll, which they carried for the length of their journey and back.
The wooden baton was hand-crafted in 2011, made in the style of a classical police accoutrement and engraved with the QPS logo along with the phrase we remember them.
Inside the baton is a hollow containing a scroll with the names of any Queensland Police officers who lost their lives in the previous calendar year.
However, for this year there the baton was empty as there were no QPS officers killed as a result of their duty.
Commissioner Carroll said it was always her hope to hand an empty baton to the riders as they ventured towards their destination. Thankfully, this year there were no names contained within.
“I thank these riders for carrying on this sombre tradition to celebrate the lives and sacrifices of officers all over Australia,” Commissioner Carroll said
Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus said the ride was an important symbolic event to show solidarity between police and the wider community.
“This ride is a wonderful way for police to support one another through the realities of the dangers of their work,” Assistant Commissioner Marcus said.
This is the first time the riders have set off to Canberra since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
