Emergency service crews honoured in St Peter Port

A two-minute silence was held at 09:00 BST at the White Rock Memorial at St Peter Port Harbour

Guernsey’s emergency services held a ceremony earlier to remember colleagues who have been injured or killed in the line of duty.

Representatives of the police, coastguard, fire service, ambulance service and other services held a two-minute silence for Emergency Services Day at St Peter Port Harbour on Monday morning.

Lt Gen Richard Cripwell paid tribute to the "remarkable people" who kept Guernsey safe "sometimes at great cost to themselves".

Emergency Services Day, often called "999 day", is an annual memorial event across the UK designed to highlight the role the blue-light teams play and to promote career opportunities.

'Care and compassion'

Guernsey Police Chief Officer Ruari Hardy said: "These roles are hugely rewarding, but also incredibly challenging, and sometimes demand sacrifices."

Mark Mapp, Chief Ambulance Officer, thanked the ambulance teams for their "care and compassion in saving lives".

Guernsey Harbour Master and Head of Guernsey Coastguard Jerome Davis said: "Were it not for the incredible bravery, skill and dedication of the emergency services, which serve our islands, many of the incidents that we respond to would have very different outcomes."

Chief Fire Officer Jon Le Page congratulated the emergency services teams for their work.

He said: "Whether it be an RTC [road traffic collision], a fire, a crime, an issue at sea, a heart attack, a missing person, or one of a huge number of other potential incidents; as a group, Guernsey’s emergency services are always prepared to put themselves in harm’s way to help others."