September 29 marks National Police Remembrance Day.
The event recognises and pays tribute to police officers across Australia who have died serving their communities.
It also provides the community an opportunity to pay their respects to officers who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances.
One person who will be honoured on the day is Leading Senior Constable Keith Patterson, who died in 2018.
Ldg Snr Const Patterson joined Victoria Police on February 10, 1986 and spent his career serving the Sale and Wellington Shire district.
On the morning of May 12, 2005 he was escorting an offender to a police vehicle when the offender began to resist arrest.
In the ensuing struggle, Ldg Snr Const Patterson sustained a deep cut to his left hand, which led to a staph infection.
That infection spread to his heart valve, resulting in a long bout of ill-health and eventually his death.
Victoria Police determined that the injury Ldg Snr Const Patterson sustained in 2005 directly contributed to his death.
As such, he was posthumously awarded a Victoria Police Star, which was given to his family during a Police Graduation Parade in May 2019.
National Police Remembrance Day is concurrently marked with Victoria Police’s Blue Ribbon Day.
