Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary honoured to be paying tribute to D-Day veterans

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is proud to be honouring veterans in Portsmouth on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

As the country prepares to pay tribute to the heroes of that most daring and dangerous of war operations, our teams are working hard to ensure a safe and respectful event for all.

The veterans will be at the heart of the National Commemorative Event on Wednesday (June 5) and we have been working tirelessly with organisers so that those who sacrificed so much are able to reflect and remember their fallen colleagues.

Those living and working in the city will have already seen the work underway on Southsea Common by event organisers, the Ministry of Defence, and the broad range of visible security measures in place.

From patrols on the land, out to sea and in the air with our drone team, we have deployed our specialist teams from across the force to prevent any disruption to the tributes and solemn reflections on the day.

Residents, local businesses and visitors heading into the city on Wednesday can expect to see an increased police presence, including our search dogs, our roads policing officers and the marine unit, all carrying out patrols.

Assistant Chief Constable Robert France, who had the honour of meeting Royal Navy D-Day veteran Alec Penstone today, said: “This event is about honouring our veterans and ensuring they get the opportunity they deserve to commemorate this historically significant day.

“As a force, it is a real honour to be playing our part to make sure they can do this with dignity and respect.

“They made great sacrifices for us all, so it is only right that they are able to mark this poignant anniversary in the city that many of them set off from all those years ago.

“We have extensive experience policing such nationally significant occasions and we are working hard with the event organisers and local partners, including Portsmouth City Council, to help ensure this is a safe and respectful event for everyone.

“Residents and local businesses will have already seen our different police teams deployed in and around the city, conducting searches and carrying out targeted patrols both on land and out on the water in the lead up to the event.

“And while there will be plenty you can see, there will of course be those that are less visible.

“This is all part of our policing operation to allow the veterans the time to remember those lost and ensure their legacy is passed down to the next generation so that their sacrifices made during the D-Day landings are never forgotten.”

Those living and working in the area are reminded that the events on the Common on June 5 are for those with tickets only and there will be no other public vantage points for these. However, both will be broadcast live on TV.

For more information about the National Commemorative event please visit D-Day 80 - D-Day 80 (dday80.campaign.gov.uk)

For information about other D-Day 80 events being held in Portsmouth between June 5 - 9, visit D-Day 80 - Portsmouth (visitportsmouth.co.uk)

Visit https://theddaystory.com/ for more on the D-Day story.