Marking the 60th anniversary of the Braybrook Street tragedy - a speech by Cmsr Sir Mark Rowley

It is both an honour and a privilege to stand before you today as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Today, we gather to mark sixty years since the tragedy at Braybrook Street and to remember three Metropolitan Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty: Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, Detective Constable David Wombwell, and Police Constable Geoffrey Fox.

On 12 August 1966, they came to work to do the job they had sworn to do: to protect the public, to uphold the law and to keep London safe. They never returned home.

Sixty years later, we remember them.

We remember their courage. We remember their professionalism. And we remember the sacrifice they made in the service of others.

But today is not only about remembering how they died. It is about remembering who they were. Three police officers. Three colleagues. Three family members. Three men whose lives mattered, and whose loss was felt most deeply by those who loved them.

For their families, some of whom are in this room, sixty years can never erase that loss. For the Metropolitan Police Service, their names remain part of our history, our identity and our collective memory.

These murders are a tragic example of the dangers all officers live with, in the most routine policing moments. On that August evening, Christopher Head, David Wombwell and Geoffrey Fox were serving together in an unmarked police car, carrying out the proactive policing of their day. They were doing what police officers have always done: following their instincts, acting on information and working to prevent crime before harm could come to the public.

What appeared to be a routine encounter with three apparently suspicious men quickly became something very different.

In a matter of moments, three experienced officers found themselves facing extreme danger. They were confronted by armed criminals and paid with their lives for their commitment to public service.

The events of Braybrook Street shocked London, shocked policing and shocked the nation.

The loss of three officers in a single incident was unprecedented in modern British policing. It forced difficult conversations about officer safety, intelligence, communication and operational preparedness. It became one of the defining moments in the history of the Metropolitan Police Service.

The three men responsible were subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. One died in prison, one was released after 25 years and the ringleader served 48 years imprisonment.

In 1966 the families and the police service rightly saw the wholehearted and unequivocal support of the state for the murdered officers through the criminal justice system.

Such unhesitatingly robust support is as vital today as it ever was to the confidence of officers as they daily put themselves in harm's way to protect the public. Their bravery depends upon absolute trust that the state and justice system will stand behind them, as it did in this case.

Today that trust is badly damaged. The case of PC Andrew Harper, another officer killed in what started as a routine policing moment, has left officers across the country angry and upset that the family of a former colleague who lost his life protecting others should be treated so poorly. It has also left them seriously doubting , in their own routine moments of personal jeopardy, whether they can rely upon such wholehearted support.

The rule of law and public safety has always depended upon officers’ daily courage. Their bravery is doubly underpinned - by both their families’ love, support and resilience, and also the institutional support of the Criminal Justice System and Government. The state, whose first duty is to protect its citizens, must today remember how to nourish routine policing courage, not to treat it with cavalier disregard.

I am grateful for the families of Christopher Head and David Wombwell here today, support for me highlighting these unacceptable present-day comparisons to the outcry of support they received 60 years ago.

Policing has an enduring hunger to improve, to learn from tragedy, and has changed significantly since 1966.

The way we gather and share intelligence has changed. The way we assess risk has changed. The training, specialist capabilities and support available to officers have changed.

In the years that followed Braybrook Street, firearms training was standardised through the creation of the Firearms Training Unit. The tragedy helped shape the continuing evolution of policing and reinforced the importance of preparing officers for the risks they may face in protecting the public.

Yet whilst tactics and policy and technology evolve, the most important elements of policing, its soul, its spirit, remain exactly the same.

The personal commitment to the mission of protecting others remains undimmed. Police officers still go to work each day knowing they may be called upon to run towards danger when others run from it. They still place themselves between the public and those who would cause harm. And they still do so because of a shared vocational commitment to service.

Policing in this country depends upon our extraordinary colleagues. Every day, officers and staff deal with some of the most difficult, dangerous and distressing situations imaginable. They witness trauma, support victims through the darkest moments of their lives, and shoulder responsibilities that most people never see.

In London alone, around twenty officers are assaulted every day, and two are seriously injured every week. Yet they continue to step forward, because protecting communities is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of a civilised society, and they are deeply committed to that mission.

That is the thread that connects today's officers to Christopher, David and Geoffrey.

Their legacy can also be seen beyond policing itself.

In the aftermath of these murders, there was an extraordinary response from the public. People from across the country wanted to support the families left behind by this devastating loss. Out of that compassion came the Police Dependants' Trust, whose work continues today through Police Care UK.

That legacy matters.

It reflects something that remains true today: when police officers and their families face loss, they should not face it alone.

Even in the darkest moments, kindness, compassion and solidarity endure.

It is fitting that later this year the MO19 Specialist Taskforce Centre at Gravesend will reopen its teaching collection, ensuring that the memory of Christopher Head, David Wombwell and Geoffrey Fox continues to educate and inspire those who follow in their footsteps.

It is a privilege to be here today for another very special reason. It is a great privilege to present the Elizabeth Emblem on behalf of His Majesty The King to the families of Detective Sergeant Christopher Head and Detective Constable David Wombwell.

The Elizabeth Emblem is a national recognition of those who died in public service. It is a symbol of gratitude. A symbol of remembrance. And a symbol of the enduring respect this country holds for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

No award can ever replace those we have lost.

But it can ensure that service is recognised, that sacrifice is honoured, and that memory endures.

Fortunately, the killing of police officers in the line of duty remains thankfully rare in this country. But when it does happen, it leaves a lasting mark on families, colleagues and the wider policing family. That is why we gather today. To remember three officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to ensure that neither their service nor their sacrifice is ever forgotten.

To the families with us today: thank you.

Thank you for the support you gave to your loved ones during their service. Thank you for the strength and dignity you have shown in the years since their deaths. And thank you for helping us preserve their memory for future generations.

As Commissioner, I make this commitment on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service.

We will remember them.

We will honour their sacrifice.

And we will continue to tell their story.

Because sixty years on, the names of Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, Detective Constable David Wombwell and Police Constable Geoffrey Fox remain woven into the fabric of this organisation.

Their service will not be forgotten.

Their sacrifice will be remembered.

And their memory will endure.

Every officer serving in London today wears the same badge, takes the same oath and accepts the same responsibility to serve the public. That is why we remember Christopher, David and Geoffrey not simply as part of our history, but as part of who we are.

Not only for the way they died.

But for the way they lived.

For their courage.

For their service.

For their sacrifice.

And for the example they leave to all who follow.

Thank you.