Windsor's Honour Guard pays respects to police officers who made 'ultimate sacrifice'
CBC News | Posted: April 11, 2023 8:00 AM | Last Updated: April 11, 2023
Sgt. Deler Bal will be attending this week's funeral in Quebec for an officer who died on the job
For six years, Sgt. Deler Bal has been a member of the Windsor Police Service's (WPS) Honour Guard, and one of his key responsibilities has been attending police funerals throughout Canada and the United States as a local representative — considered a deep privilege.
Members of the WPS Honour Guard have attended funerals for the last nine officer line of duty deaths in Canada including the funerals of the two officers who were killed in Edmonton last month.
"It's obviously a very sombre moment. It's an opportunity to reflect, it's an opportunity to pay our respects to a police officers who've paid the ultimate sacrifice," Bal explained.
"It's close to our heart."
WATCH | Sgt. Deler speaks with CBC's Katerina Georgieva about what it's like serving on the Honour Guard:
Bal most recently attended the Barrie, Ont., funeral for two South Simcoe police officers who were fatally shot in Innisfil, Ont. in October, and will be attending Thursday's funeral in Trois-Rivières, Que., for a provincial police officer killed during an attempted arrest.
"I can tell you that the emotions, the feeling of camaraderie as well, when you do attend these police funerals is something very special. And it's an opportunity again for us to be present there, and it's an opportunity to understand that the policing family at large gets impacted," he said.
"So whether there is a police officer line of duty death in Edmonton, it impacts on some level or another an officer on the other side of the country in some way."
Though there is an impact, Bal stresses that it doesn't affect how an officer responds to a call for service.
"There are some inherent risks associated with policing. But I can tell you that the rewards of this policing profession far and away outweigh the risks that are associated to it."
As for how he's preparing for this week's funeral in Quebec, Bal explained that at the forefront is always remembering that it is is a privilege to attend.
"It's an honour — no pun intended — to actually attend those events," he said.
"it's a moment to just reflect on the importance of life and on this craft of policing."
The Honour Guard unit is assigned at the discretion of the chief of police, and beyond attending funerals for fallen officers, members also take part in events like parades, presentation of colours, and swearing-in ceremonies of new auxiliary recruits.