Ceremony, memorial service place in favour of the police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty

Ceremony, memorial service place in favour of the police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, was held today in the morning, in the Church of Pammegiston Taxiarchon (Athens, La. Mesogeion 96) in the presence of the Political and Natural Leadership of the Body.
Since the establishment of the Hellenic Police, in 1984, until today (129) police officers were fatally injured, were either ordered service or not, defending their duty, the life, physical integrity and property of citizens. The mortal injuries were caused during bloody armed clashes, chases armed thugs, terrorist acts, and accidents which have occurred in the performance of police duties.
The memorial service, officiated as the representative of his All-Archbishop of Athens and all Greece mr. Hieronymus, his Eminence Metropolitan Velestinou mr of Damascus, assisted by the very reverend Archimandrite – Major-general e.a. Nektarios Κιούλο.
The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of Citizen Protection Nikos Τόσκας, the General Secretary of Public Order, Dimitris Anagnostakis, the Deputy Secretary-General Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction Tzanetos Φιλιππάκος, the Secretary-General for Civil Protection John Καπάκης and the Chief of the Hellenic Police Lieutenant general Konstantinos Τσουβάλας.
In the context of the ceremony, the Deputy Minister for Citizen Protection said:
“With respect to the memory of police officers who have fallen I don’t want to say a lot of words. Just those who fell should always be in our memory. Should always be worthy of our homage and our gaze should be on those people who gave their youth for there is security, there is a class. To be able to live our people with peace. Must be in our memory always. Should we pay respect, we must honor their families, loaded all the weight with the loss of their people and will always honor them, they will always be in our memory and everything should be paid respect, not only these days, not the Ψυχοσάββατο, but every day in order for the rest of the officers to perform their duty, to have standards, need of standards in these difficult times, as you need to go back and, in some traditions. Need and standards, in order to face the difficulties of everyday life and quiet to work productively in the everyday life that require you to solve other problems. Blessed be the memory of police officers who have gone in the execution of their duties and should be always in our memory, not only the Ψυχοσάββατο”.
The Chief of the Hellenic Police force, Lieutenant-general Constantine Τσουβάλας, pointed out the following:
“The peculiarity of the profession of police officer, lies in the fact, that it is not a profession in the usual sense of the term.
The officer, serving his office at any time and in any circumstances, is required to set aside individual interests and to defend the common good, society and citizens. So, today, valuing tribute to our colleagues, those who with self-denial and a high sense of duty, sacrificed their lives, defending values and ideals, which in our time is unfortunately hard to find.
The self-sacrifice, above all, brings us before our responsibilities, and of the oath which we gave in our adhesion to the police family. It urges us to strive to fulfill our debt, against the fatherland, of society and of citizens, despite the difficulties and the dangers that we face.
The example indicates a decidedly difficult path. However, the road, the hard, the same we have chosen we must always follow it with commitment, with courage, with self-sacrifice. Faithful to our oath, and the deposits of those members who are no longer with us, those of our colleagues who we commemorate today, those who remember always.
Their families are left to experience their loss, certainly, no reason is not good enough to be a comfort. However, let us dwell on phrases that Thucydides describes through the words of Pericles “. that happy, can be regarded as only those, to whom fell the maximum price, whether an honorable death is, as these here, or an honorable sorrow like yours”.
Let’s prove it with our work, we are colleagues, that we can be worthy of them.
Eternal be their memory”.
The ceremony was honored also by the presence of the president of the Union Of Vasilis Leventis, the deputy of New Democracy Dimitris Κυριαζίδης, the mp of the Independent Greeks, Kostas Katsikis, the officer of the department of citizen protection of YOU.REESE.A. George Μαλαγκονιάρης, the representative of the USA.CN.K. Municipality Γόγολος and from the Communist Party of Greece mr. Spyros Χαλβατζής.
In addition, it was attended by the Deputy chief of the Hellenic Police force, Lieutenant-general John Diamantopoulos, the General Police Inspector of Southern Greece, Lieutenant general Aristeidis Andrikopoulos, Heads of Sectors and Directors of Directorates of the Headquarters, as well as other senior and senior Officers of the Hellenic Police.
Was also attended by the Presidents of the Panhellenic Federation of Police Officers and the Panhellenic Federation of Police officers, representatives of the trade unions and associations of the retired of the Hellenic Police, other police and civilian personnel, relatives of victims of police and a crowd of people.
After the end of the ceremony, followed by wreath laying at the Monument to the Fallen Police officers, which is located at the entrance of the premises of the Ministry.