NB peace officers honoured at ceremony in Fredericton

Another public memorial ceremony was held on Sunday morning to honour New Brunswick police officers who died in the line of duty.

Police officers, families and other dignitaries gathered at the Peace Officers Memorial in Fredericton on the Saint John River for the first in-person ceremony of worship since 2019.

Part of the ceremony was an honor roll of 34 peacekeepers, whose names are also engraved on the memorial.

Nadine Larche, wife of Const. Douglas Larche, who was killed in the line of duty in Moncton in 2014, spoke at the ceremony representing the families of fallen officers.

Saturday would have been the Larches’ 22nd wedding anniversary.

Today, Tuesday June 4, marks the tenth anniversary of the shooting in Moncton in which three RCMP officers were killed: Const. Larche, Const. Dave Ross and Const. Fabrice Gevaudan.

“To the families of our fallen peacekeepers and law enforcement officers: we share your pain, we share your pride,” Larche said. “We remember their laughter, their love and the moments we shared together.”

Larche also spoke about renewing support for currently serving officers.

Officers march to the New Brunswick Peace Officers' Memorial in Fredericton on June 2, 2024. (CTV/Nick Moore) “Let us stand with them and recognize the challenges they face and the risk they take every day,” Larche said. “It is our shared duty to ensure that their service is honored with respect and that their families are welcomed with unwavering support, as events like today demonstrate.”

The memorial was first dedicated in 1997 and public ceremonies are held at the memorial every two years. In 2021, the ceremony was scaled down due to COVID-19. In 2023, the ceremony was canceled due to a severe weather warning.

Gary Forward, police chief of Woodstock and president of the New Brunswick Police Chiefs' Association, said the return to an open and public ceremony was important to the officers in attendance.

“It is an ongoing duty and responsibility that we have to each other and something that we certainly want to share with the community,” Forward said.

For more news from New Brunswick, visit our dedicated provincial page.