IG news Update,
For six years, Sgt. Deller Bal has been a member of the Windsor Police Service (WPS) Honor Guard, and one of his major responsibilities has been attending police funerals across Canada and the United States as a local representative – which is considered a profound privilege.
Members of the WPS Honor Guard have attended the funerals of the last nine officers on duty in Canada, including the funerals for two officers killed in Edmonton last month.
Bal explained, “It’s obviously a very sad moment. It’s an opportunity to reflect, it’s an opportunity to pay respect to the police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“It’s close to our hearts.”
look | Sgt. Deller talks with CBC’s Katerina Georgieva about what it’s like to serve on the honor guard:
Sgt. Deller Bell shares what it’s like to be a unit sergeant for the Honor Guard. He spoke to CBC’s Katerina Georgieva.
Child recently attended the Barrie, Ontario, funeral of two South Simcoe police officers who were fatally shot in Innisfail, Ontario. in October, and will attend Thursday’s funeral in Trois-Rivières, Que., for a provincial police officer killed during an attempted arrest.
“I can tell you that the emotion, the sense of camaraderie is also very special when you attend these police funerals. And this is an opportunity for us to be there again, and to understand that the policing family is affected in a big way,” he said.
“So whether a police officer dies in Edmonton, it affects an officer on the other side of the country in some way or the other on some level.”
Although it does have an effect, the force insists it does not affect how an officer responds to a call for service.
“There are some inherent risks associated with policing. But I can tell you that the rewards of this policing profession far outweigh the risks associated with it.”
In preparing for this week’s funeral in Quebec, Bal said that at the forefront is always remembering that it is a privilege to be present.
“It’s an honor – no pun intended – to actually be involved in those events,” he said.
“This is a moment to reflect on the importance of life and this craft of policing.”
Honor guard units are assigned at the discretion of the chief of police, and beyond attending funerals for fallen officers, members also participate in events such as parades, the presentation of colors, and the swearing-in ceremony of new auxiliary recruits.