On behalf of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, which includes our Board members, chief executive officer and staff, volunteers and supporters, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to the families of the four police who died (Wednesday) night in the most tragic circumstances.
(The) shocking news took all of us by surprise, and in many ways we just could not comprehend that it was true.
We now need to prepare ourselves for the coming days, knowing the terrible effects ... will reverberate through the policing and general community forever.
We are enormously grateful to our community for the overwhelming offers of support, which began last night and has continued this morning.
We are working alongside Victoria Police and Victoria Police Legacy to provide ways in which the public can express their condolences and support for our police members and the families of those who died as a result of this tragic incident.
Due to the current quarantine conditions in our community our efforts are being directed so that people can show their support while respecting those conditions.
A virtual blue ribbon can be downloaded and added to social media banners.
This can be obtained from our website, www.remember.org.au or via our Facebook page www.facebook.com/VicBlueRibbon
We also encourage people to #turnourstateblue.
Make your own blue ribbons; wear them, display them in your windows, tie them to your letterbox or to the aerials of your cars.
This will send our police a visible and emotional signal of support during the days and weeks ahead.
Together with Police Legacy we have started a fund to provide support and assistance to the families of the four fallen police officers.
Tax-deductible donations can be made online at www.remember.org.au or www.policelegacyvic.org.au
We thank the hundreds of people who have already made donations to this fund.
Over the next few days I’m sure our partners and the wider community will think of other ways to support Victoria Police and the families at this tragic time so we urge the community to visit our website and to also link with our Facebook and/or Instagram to receive the latest updates as they occur.
Neil Soullier, OAM
Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation
chief executive officer
5°C