European law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty have been honoured with a new European law enforcement memorial in The Hague. The steel sculpture, which is prominently positioned in the new Headquarters of Europol, is created by the Hungarian artist Apolka Eros and donated to Europol by the National Police of Hungary during the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The fragmented look of the sculpted mask makes for a dramatic appearance and is intended to reflect the complexity of life, unpredictable fate, the diversity of human relationships and life, and the way these elements impact and influence faces and characters. In this case, the sculpture represents a human face that has no individual character, and could represent any colleague who is no longer with us physically but still in our souls and memories.
The memorial dedication reads: In memory of European Union law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The monument was unveiled during Europol’s European Police Chiefs Convention by Mr József Hatala, Commissioner of the Hungarian National Police, and Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol. The unveiling was followed by one minute of silence, observed by around 250 chiefs of police and senior law enforcement officers from all over Europe who participated in the law enforcement event, and 700 Europol staff members.
At the unveiling of the memorial, Mr Wainwright said: “The new headquarters of Europol is a modern symbol of European police cooperation. It prepares us for the future. But I am also delighted that, on behalf of the law enforcement community in general, a part of the building is dedicated to the past and to our colleagues who have sacrificed their lives in the name of upholding freedom, security and justice”