Thousands line the streets of London to bid farewell to PC Keith Palmer as hearse carrying the hero cop starts at the gates of Parliament where he lost his life
HIS final journey began through the gates that he laid down his life to defend.
But on the hearse carrying the hero policeman to his resting place was a reminder that PC Keith Palmer was, above all, No1 Daddy to his young daughter.
And to honour him, London yesterday staged an unprecedented show of mourning for an officer killed in the line of duty.
Just under three weeks ago the world watched in horror as PC Palmer, 48, lay lifeless following the Westminster terror attack.
As many as 50,000 had now turned out to pay their last respects to “the perfect policeman”.
More than 5,000 officers from every force in the UK lined the two-mile route as his body was taken from the Palace of Westminster — where he was stabbed by maniac Khalid Masood — to Southwark Cathedral for a service.
There, Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer, who served with PC Palmer, described him as “always professional, always smart, always caring”.
He continued: “As police officers we go to work every day knowing we may be called upon to put our own lives in danger and many do.
“On Wednesday 22nd March 2017 Police Constable Keith Palmer did just that, to protect life and to protect Parliament.
“And he did not waver. He stood firm and made the ultimate sacrifice in doing his duty.
“A hero to us all. We are all very proud of him. His spirit will never leave us and he will always remain an inspiration to us all.
“Keith’s blue lamp will shine brightly forever and on behalf of us all we say thank you. Keith made a difference and we will not forget.”
Earlier, as the hearse pulled out of the Palace gates, a message was broadcast across all police radios: “I can confirm PC Palmer has completed his last tour of duty.
"He has left the Palace of Westminster”.
His police helmet and a red rose remained on the steps near Parliament, at the spot where he fell.
Crowds, ten deep in places, watched in solemn silence as the hearse — led initially by motorbike outriders and later by five jet black police horses — passed them.
It carried wreaths of red and white flowers, also mourning a husband, brother and beloved uncle.
Behind the blacked-out windows of a following Jaguar, PC Palmer’s five-year old daughter Amy sat with her mum, Michelle, 35.
Along the route, officers in No1 uniform, their silver buttons and service medals glinting in the spring sunshine, turned to face the cortege.
Many wept openly, wiping their tears with white ceremonial gloves.
An hour before the service began, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick walked past the massed ranks of officers in her first official day in the role.
The cortege had crossed to the south of the Thames via Lambeth Bridge rather than Westminster Bridge, where Masood, 52, drove a car into pedestrians, fatally injuring four, before attacking PC Palmer.
Six of the officer’s closest colleagues shouldered the coffin, draped in the Metropolitan Police’s blue flag, into the cathedral.
One — PC Shaun Cartwright — had said earlier: “If you could paint a picture of the perfect policeman, you would be painting a picture of Keith Palmer.”
The service was broadcast over loudspeakers to the nearby crowds but remained private to TV cameras or photographers.
As the coffin entered the cathedral, two police helicopters hovered above to perform a mid-air bow while boats on the Thames sounded their whistles.
Police stations around the country observed a two-minute silence.
PC Palmer joined The Met in 2001, serving in Bromley and then with the Tactical Support Group based in Catford.
Chief Insp Sawyer said: “In 2015 alone he made in excess of 150 arrests and achieved the great honour of being nominated for the Commissioner’s Excellence in Policing Awards for the top Thief Taker of the Year.”
Just a year ago, PC Palmer joined the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Group guarding the Palace of Westminster.
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Reverend Prebendary Jonathan Osborne, senior chaplain to the Met, said: “Keith died doing his duty. It was as in that moment the clocks stopped.
“It’s impossible to take in the full horror in a moment the events of less than two minutes. Two movements of those hands in which the injured lay and people were dying.
“Keith’s death has affected all of us in different ways and to different degrees.
“For you, Michelle and Amy, that stopped moment in time took away your husband, your daddy.
"It took away a son, a brother. It took away a colleague and a friend.
“My reaction would have been to run away and save myself, to distance myself from the danger.
“Keith’s instinct was to run towards his assailant and in that to lay down his life for his friends.
“We are those friends, known and unknown.
“He died for the democracy he was protecting. He died for the freedom we should treasure. For evil to succeed all it takes is for a good man to do nothing.
“This good man did something. He gave everything. Evil will not succeed. It has already been defeated.”
Commissioner Dick read WH Auden’s Funeral Blues, made famous by Four Weddings and A Funeral and including the line Stop All the Clocks.
The congregation included Home Secretary Amber Rudd and MP Tobias Ellwood, who tried desperately to save PC Palmer’s life.
A lone bugler sounded The Last Post.
As the coffin left for a private cremation, retired chef John Loughrey, 62, of Streatham, South London, spoke for millions when he held up a sign proclaiming: “Our country stands united, the grief we share as one, our spirit will not be broken.”
Nine-year-old Paul Warren who one days wants to be a copper, stood next to real police officers and paid his respects.
Dressed in a policeman’s helmet, and carrying tiny handcuffs and a toy truncheon, Paul, of Wandsworth, South West London, said: “What happened to PC Palmer has made me sad.
“He died to protect everybody, he died for us. I’m proud of him.”
IT technician Lawal Muhammad, 35, of Haringey, North London, said: “Police, tourists and Londoners are all here. We’ve each taken the time out of our day to pay our respects.”