Please forgive me, an acquaintance on another forum I frequent, personally served with this officer....I would like to share his thoughts,... No CC delivering predictable speech.
It brought a tear to my eye ...have a read.
'' Hi all,
Just popped in to offer my thoughts on the loss of Billy.
Every now and then an officer dies in the course of his or her duty. When you read the press, you always read of a dedicated professional officer who was doing his duty, helping others. Sometimes it feels that this is what you would expect chief officers to say when one of theirs falls in the line of duty.
In the case of Bill, it is all absolutely true. Bill was a gentle giant of a man, larger than life. He dedicated himself to his job, and was exceptional in not only his method of dealing with the public, but in his attitude and professionalism in every aspect of the job. He was an FLO colleague, who got more thankyou letters from the families he served than any other officer I know. He could support a family in their distress, as sensitive an officer as you could hope to meet, yet had the art of gracing even the darkest day with his infectious humour when the time was right. He had just completed his firearms course with distinction, being singled out by his trainers for his excellence.
Bill died in his unstinting efforts to save others lives in horribly dangerous circumstances. The way he died says so much about the man.
We are a small force in Cumbria, and when you specialise into a department such as RPU you get to know everyone well. When you join the smaller subgroups such as firearms, or family liaison, each person feels like a member of an extended family. We rely on these people for our lives, and they become brothers and sisters to us.
Bill Barker was the complete all-rounder. He is irreplaceable, and his loss is felt painfully by the entire force.
I cannot imagine the loss felt by his family, but my heart goes out to them.
RIP Bill. ''
Channa
kinelll and 
