Commissioner Katarina Carroll joined Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus this morning to see riders of the Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance off on their journey to Canberra.
A group of Queensland Police motorcyclists and supporters gathered at the Police Memorial in Brisbane City to begin their journey to the nation's capital, where they will hold a service on September 17.
The annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance 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 (September 29).
Riders accepted the symbolic Commissioner's Baton from Commissioner Carroll, which they will carry 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 Queensland Police Service (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.
Fortunately, there have been no Queensland Police officers killed as a result of their duty in the past year.
Commissioner Carroll passed the empty Baton to officers undertaking the ride and wished them well on their journey.
"It is always my hope to hand an empty baton to the riders as they venture towards their destination, and thankfully, this year there are no names contained within," Commissioner Carroll said.
"I thank these riders for carrying on this sombre tradition to celebrate the lives and sacrifices of officers all over Australia, and I wish them a safe journey to Canberra."
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.
"I'd ask members of the community who see the convoy en route to their destination or on their way home to Queensland to take a moment to reflect upon the sacrifice police make to keep us all safe.
"I thank these officers and community members for undertaking this journey to commemorate those who have given their lives in service of our community."
This is the first time the troupe has set off to Canberra since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, over 2700 riders and pillion passengers undertook the Wall to Wall Ride to Remember throughout Australia, 323 of whom were from Queensland.
In 2021, a contingent of QPS riders travelled through some regional centres in Queensland, culminating in a memorial service near Blackwater.
More information on the Wall to Wall Ride is available here: https://walltowallride.com/
