‘A sense of pride in his short life’ (From Times Series)

‘A sense of pride in his short life’

2:49pm Monday 12th December 2005 in

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A MEMORIAL plaque to PC Pirthi Bedi, the officer killed in a car accident outside his own police station a year ago, was unveiled on Wednesday.

The plaque at Hayes Police Station was unveiled in a special ceremony, with PC Bedi's family joining former colleagues from Hillingdon and Brent, including Chief Inspector Julia Pendry.

Community leaders from West Middlesex Gurdwaras were also present. Sikh prayers were said and flowers laid on the spot on Uxbridge Road where PC Bedi, 24, was fatally injured on December 6 last year. He was a passenger in a car which crashed causing him severe leg injuries. He died the following day.

PC Bedi's father, Professor Mohinder Paul Singh Bedi, said of the plaque: "It is very humbling, and we are very grateful to those who have decided to give such an honour to him."

Professor Bedi, 70, said that his son, known as Pritzi or Handsome to his friends, was a popular member of the Hayes community and an extremely well-loved officer where he was based in Wembley.

He added: "He was very concerned with putting the youth on the right track, and showed the same respect for everyone. He has given us a sense of pride in his short life."

PC Bedi moved to Hayes from Coventry in 1981, with his dad, mum Kuldip Kaur Bedi, brother and three sisters. It was PC Bedi's lifelong ambition to be a police officer, and he fulfilled his dream just two years before the accident.

His brother Brijpaul Singh Bedi, 44, is also a police officer. He said of his younger brother: "He was determined that was what he wanted to do, and he did it. He had a way about him that made people comfortable with him."

The family has set up the Pritzi Bedi Foundation in his memory. Two trusts have been set up, one in Hillingdon and one in India.