A permanent memorial to a police officer who was killed while on duty is set to be installed at a prominent position in Reading town centre.
PC Andrew Harper was killed while chasing men who had stolen a quad bike on August 15, 2019.
He became entangled in a tow rope that was being used to tow the quad bike by car and died from his injuries.
A permanent memorial to PC Harper is due to be installed next to the statue of Trooper Fred Potts at The Forbury.
It will feature a replica of his Thames Valley Police badge.
The memorial will be installed following a successful application from The Police Memorial Trust, which was founded by the late Michael Winner, film director, following the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot and fatally wounded whilst at a demonstration in St James’s Square, London in 1984.
The memorial will be similar to the one for WPC Fletcher, and the total of 59 memorials the trust has established since its foundation.
The application to install it was approved by Reading Borough Council this month.
A spokesperson for the Trust said: “The tragic death of PC Harper was appalling, and The Trust immediately began plans to unveil a memorial in his honour.
“The Trust held meetings with Mrs Harper and Thames Valley Police to discuss the unveiling of a memorial to her late husband.
“Both Mrs Harper and Thames Valley Police were in full agreement that PC Harper should be remembered this way.
“The Trust is honoured to be placing a lasting memorial to the service, bravery and sacrifice of PC Harper.
“We are pleased to confirm that our plans to place the memorial are progressing well and that we are grateful to the council for the assistance they have given us with the project thus far.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson added: “The killing of PC Andrew Harper, whilst on duty, impacted our force, our communities and our nation.
“Andrew was a brave, hard-working and well-respected police officer.
“Indeed, on the night Andrew was killed he should have been off-duty, but decided to stay on-duty to respond to a burglary in progress.
“His dedication to protect the public from harm is a testament to his courage and professionalism.
“We are pleased there will be a memorial to honour Andrew and to remind all of us that each and every day police officers and staff put their lives on the line to protect our communities.”
The project faced one objection citing concern about a lack of detail regarding the position of the memorial, leading to questions about the impact it would have on the Trooper Potts VC memorial.
Ultimately, it was judged that the memorial would be in an appropriate position near other public monuments in the Abbey Quarter, such as the Abbey Gate and the Maiwand Lion.
Council planning officer Marcie Rejewerska concluded: “The proposal is considered a positive contribution to the public realm, enhancing the historical and cultural value of the Abbey Quarter.
“The memorial by way of its small scale and use of sympathetic materials is not considered harmful and would preserve the setting of the Forbury Gardens.”
You can view the approved application by typing reference PL/25/0083 into the council’s planning portal.
