This is another photograph from the funeral of the first officer killed on duty ever in my city. I was surprised when I looked through all of my images at the end of that day and found this one, an officer seemingly ‘reaching out’ to another one who appears to be taken by his emotions as they line up to begin the procession to the graveyard. I’ve entered this in the Compassion competiton, as I believe it not only shows the truest and purest form of compassion, but also demonstrates how anyone and everyone, even the most hardened and oldest of the police force can be overcome by their emotions, and when that is recognised, how they are also not afraid to offer each other the comfort they may need at the moment. We are all human, we all have feelings, and we all need to be given that extra hand around the shoulder, pat on the back, or words of healing from time to time.

This is life.
This is real.
Life is real.