Thousands bid farewell to slain police constable

Thousands lined the streets yesterday to pay tribute to police constable Keith Palmer, who died “defending Parliament and democracy”.The officer, 48, killed in the Westminster terror attack, was honoured with a full police service funeral at Southwark Cathedral.Police officers and the public lined the route of the cortege as it travelled from the Palace of Westminster through the streets of south London.Commons Speaker John Bercow was among many to pay tribute, saying: “Pc Keith Palmer was killed defending us, our Parliament and our democracy. His loss is felt deeply across the estate and beyond, not just out of profound gratitude for his heroism, but for who he was — a husband, father and a colleague. Today we pay our deepest respects to Palmer, and join with his friends and family in remembering and celebrating his life which was so outrageously cut short.”Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said the support officers had received since the attack had been “unprecedented”.He told the Standard: “I think it’s brought the communities together and it’s brought the police together. We stand united. We are overwhelmed that so many people have come together for the day — thousands of officers from around the country showing their respect, showing that we are one family and that we stand together.“Rank and file police officers have been overwhelmed with support... it’s unprecedented.” Palmer’s colleague Shaun Cartwright described him as the “perfect policeman”, saying: “He was very selfless, one of the kindest people you would ever find.”The constable’s body had lain in rest overnight at the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster, an honour usually reserved for heads of state. His coffin was taken from the chapel to Southwark Cathedral at lunchtime, past the floral tributes weaved through Parliament’s metal railings and the mounds of flowers laid in Parliament Square.The cortege, including Palmer’s widow Michelle Palmer, 34, their five-year-old daughter and other members of his family, was accompanied by motorcycle outriders from the Met’s Special Escort Group.The heavily protected route was lined with officers — as many as 5,000 according to some predictions — from every force in the country, as well as ambulance workers and firefighters.Among Londoners who turned out to pay their respects, was Ola Awosile, 28, an IT worker from south London. He said: “The funeral procession is a good gesture. I think it shows London in a positive light and shows that even when terrible things happen, as a country and a nation, we stand together and are unified.”Two police helicopters conducted a fly-past of the cortege before performing a “missing man formation”, an aerial salute.