The NRW police force is taking part in the international day of remembrance for police officers who have died in the line of duty for the second time today. Thousands of NRW police officers throughout the state paused for a minute's silence at 10 a.m. to remember their colleagues.

"We remember the police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and also think of the relatives who miss these loved ones," said Interior Minister Herbert Reul at the commemorative event at the NRW Ministry of the Interior.

The International Day of Remembrance for Fallen Officers, established by Interpol, takes place every year on March 7. At Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, there is a memorial plaque in memory of all police officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

The NRW police also commemorate colleagues who have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty every year at the Guardian in the NRW State Office for Training, Further Education and Personnel Affairs of the Police (LAFP) in Selm. Every day, the NRW police memorial commemorates colleagues who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The five-metre-high statue stands imposing and unmissable on the grounds of the LAFP NRW in Selm. In NRW, the NRW Police Foundation supports the families of colleagues killed in the line of duty, among others.