Adorable nine-year-old boy dresses up in full Met Police uniform as he joins thousands of officers for PC Keith Palmer’s funeral
AN ADORABLE nine-year-old boy dressed up in full Met Police uniform as he joined thousands of officers for PC Keith Palmer's funeral today.
Paul Warren - an aspiring officer - insisted that his dad brought him to to London so he could pay his respects to his "hero" after the 48-year-old was killed in the Westminster terror attack.
The youngster, who posed for pictures with impressed cops, joined in a minute's silence at 2pm as the took over a huge area of the capital in an "unprecedented" scale.
He said the funeral at at Southwark Cathedral, central London, was "important" and that he wanted to go into the force when he was older.
Speaking to Sky News, Paul said: "I think it's very important because he died for us.
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"He didn't die for everyone to support him, he just died for us.
"I admire him. I'd like to protect the country as well from crime."
PC Palmer was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood as he carried out his duties on the cobbled forecourt of the Palace of Westminster.
Around 50 members of his family, including his wife and child, along with Home Secretary Amber Rudd, mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the manager and captain of his beloved Charlton Athletic FC, Karl Robinson and Johnnie Jackson.
As many as 5,000 officers from the Metropolitan Police and other forces joined the service or lined the cortege route as members of the public looked on.
In a eulogy reaching nearly 1,500 words, his friend and colleague Chief Inspector Neil Sawyer told the cathedral's congregation: "During Keith's policing service he met and worked alongside many officers and left a positive impression on all. And we will all miss him greatly.
"I know this because over the last couple of weeks so many of these colleagues and friends have told me as much.
"I will close with these thoughts from myself, Keith's colleagues and friends - his spirit will never leave us and he will remain an inspiration to us all. Keith's blue lamp will shine bright forever.
"And on behalf of us all we say thank you - Keith made a difference and we will not forget."
The reading included anecdotes from PC Palmer's 15-year policing career, including that as a Territorial Support Group officer he made 150 arrests in 2015 alone.
Mr Sawyer said: "Keith was a Depeche Mode fan and would often sing his favourite song at work, I Just Can't Get Enough, which was relevant to his arrest rate."
Before the service, the Queen gave permission for PC Palmer's body to rest in Westminster's Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, an honour normally reserved for senior figures.
PC Palmer's funeral cortege, including his hearse topped with a floral tribute reading "No 1 Daddy", left the palace through the Carriage Gates he died defending.
His coffin travelled slowly amid silence along 2.6 miles of the capital's usually bustling streets, avoiding the scene of the March 22 atrocity on Westminster Bridge on its journey to the cathedral.
Some members of the public and police shed tears as the procession went past, while members of PC Palmer's family and friends followed the hearse in black cars at the rear.
The procession was led by the Metropolitan Police Colour Party and a Black Escort of mounted officers before the coffin was carried into the cathedral by colleagues and friends of PC Palmer.
Two National Police Air Service helicopters performed a flypast and aerial salute.
Screens and PA systems were erected for members of the public outside to watch and listen to the service and officers bowed their heads as the Last Post sounded from the cathedral shortly after a recital of the Lord's Prayer.
A few moments' silence then followed a rendition of God Save The Queen, as on-duty officers, medical staff and members of the public stood still in respect for PC Palmer.
At the end of the service, his coffin was again placed inside the hearse, which also had floral tributes reading "husband", "uncle", "Keith" and "son", and driven away to a private cremation for family and friends.
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