Northern Daily Leader (Australia)
In the wake of one of the most tragic events to rock Tamworth, police officers are trying to track down a little girl whose generosity has warmed their hearts.
On hearing the news that local police had lost their colleague Senior Constable David Rixon on Friday, a six-year-old girl arrived at the station and offered police at the front counter her birthday cake.
Police said the little girl gave them her cake because she thought the officers “needed it more” than she did.
A senior officer said officers have launched an investigation of a different kind, and are now trying to track down the little girl to offer their thanks.
A group of cowboys were also seen to arrive at the Tamworth station at the weekend, take their hats off and bow their heads in a minute’s silence at the half-mast flagpole.
Inspector Scott Tanner, who is relieving at Tamworth station, said the dozens of flowers and cards inside were only a portion of donations, most had what were delivered to Senior Constable Rixon’s family.
Inspector Tanner said detectives from Dubbo were called to Tamworth to assist local investigators with their duties.
He said Tamworth Police Station would effectively be run by staff from Sydney from Wednesday night until Friday, as local officers farewell Senior Constable Rixon at a funeral service on Thursday morning.
Officers from other stations in the western region had been called in to man smaller police stations across the Oxley Local Area Command.
Until then, Inspector Tanner said it was “business as usual” at Tamworth station, and there were sufficient police numbers to cover the response to the community.
Copyright 2012 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited