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Police Remembrance Day
Editorial: Jesse Wray-McCann
Every day across the state, thousands of Victoria Police officers serve and protect their communities and then head home after a job well done.
However there have also been officers over the years who have not made it home, those who have died in the line of duty.
National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September will commemorate the sacrifices of these brave men and women.
The day will be marked with a metropolitan march and service at the Victoria Police Memorial and with regional services held across the state.
The Victoria Police Memorial, located within the Kings Domain gardens on St Kilda Road, includes an honour roll featuring the names of 166 Victoria Police officers who have died in the line of duty.
Two new names have been sadly added to the honour roll in the past 12 months, those of Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Kostiuk and Leading Senior Constable Keith Patterson.
Leading Senior Constable Keith Patterson
Leading Senior Constable Keith Patterson, who died in September 2018, is remembered as a “genuine bloke” who worked hard for the sake of his colleagues.
Ldg Sen Const Patterson, 63, died as a result of organ failure linked to long-term illness thought to be caused by a scuffle with a prisoner many years earlier.
In May 2005, Ldg Sen Const Patterson cut his hand while trying to place the resistant prisoner in the rear of a divisional van.
This led to a staph infection that affected a heart valve he had replaced the previous year and he was off work for a considerable period of time.
In 2006 he returned to work, but over time, the replacement valve again became infected.
The staph infection meant he was unable to undergo surgery and he died from organ failure on 7 September last year.
Ldg Sen Const Patterson joined Victoria Police in 1986 as a 31-year-old, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a police officer.
Ldg Sen Const Patterson was a valuable and respected member of several stations within the Wellington Police Service Area in Gippsland during his career.
He worked mostly general duties before becoming a Divisional Intelligence Unit analyst in Sale.
Ldg Sen Const Patterson made an important contribution as a members’ delegate with The Police Association of Victoria from 2000, becoming a life member in 2012.
Association president Senior Sergeant John Laird remembers Ldg Sen Const Patterson as a “heart and soul” association activist, who always put his fellow association members first.
“‘Patto’ was just a genuine bloke who always had the back of his members,” Sen Sgt Laird said.
“There was never any fuss about him; he just simply got on with the job of doing his bit to support the association and his members in many of our successful campaigns over many years.
Ldg Sen Const Patterson was posthumously awarded a Victoria Police Star in May this year.
He is survived by his wife Di, and sons Ryan, Lachlan and Matthew.
Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Kostiuk
Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Kostiuk was taking part in a motorcycle ride to honour fallen officers last year when he himself was tragically killed after being hit by a car.
The death of the popular and respected officer on the Wall to Wall: Ride for Remembrance rocked Victoria Police just two weeks out from the 2018 Police Remembrance Day.
Det Sen Sgt Kostiuk, 59, was taking part in the ride alongside his son and fellow police officer Senior Constable Felix Kostiuk on the Princes Highway near Orbost on 14 September when a car travelling in the other direction lost control and collided with his motorcycle.
A year on from the tragedy and Det Sen Sgt Kostiuk is being remembered as a devoted and compassionate man.
He joined Victoria Police in 1979 and worked in uniform policing, crime investigation and homicide, however he was best known for his work in family violence.
As the officer in charge of the Family Violence Unit at the Somerville Police Complex, he was an expert in the field of preventing family violence, respected by his colleagues as well as other agencies and service providers.
The National Medal was awarded to Det Sen Sgt Kostiuk in 1995 for “diligent service and good conduct over a sustained period”.
Superintendent Adrian White, who worked closely with Det Sen Sgt Kostiuk for many years, described him as “a man who was devoted to his family, his staff, and his job” and who would always get people laughing.
“Without exception, every time I spoke with Vic he would make me laugh or at least break into a broad smile,” Supt White said.
“He was also indeed passionate about protecting the vulnerable in our community, particularly those that have been adversely impacted by family violence.
“I still have fond memories of our time together working on a number of homicide investigations in the 1990s and while this was a time of great loss for many, I often think of the compassion and empathy Vic had for the families who had lost a loved one in tragic and violent circumstances.
“I recall on one occasion following a Supreme Court trial, the family members of the deceased victim gave Vic a cook book as they recalled he mentioned in passing his passion for cooking.
“That small token was something that was never normally seen and was a testament to how much the family thought of Vic.”
Det Sen Sgt Kostiuk is survived by his wife, retired Superintendent Pauline Kostiuk, and his son, Sen Const Felix Kostiuk.
The National Police Remembrance Day metropolitan march and service is on Sunday, 29 September. Participants are to gather in the southbound service lane on St Kilda Road from 9am, between Princes Bridge and Linlithgow Avenue. The step-off time is at 10am with a service to follow at the Victoria Police Memorial.
