Summerside police attend funeral for slain Fredericton officers

Eleven officers from the police force in Summerside, P.E.I., were among the crowd of more than 1,000 family, friends, first responders and dignitaries attending the regimental funeral this past Saturday for two Fredericton police officers.

Constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello were killed in the line of duty along with two civilians just over a week ago.

You try and get back to business as usual.— Cpl. Jason Blacquiere 

"It was important for us to go," Cpl. Jason Blacquiere told Mainstreet P.E.I.'s Angela Walker. "When any agency in the policing world has a loss, we all feel it. 

"It's important of us as an agency to show support to the other agencies as well as the community, because they suffer a big loss," he added. 

The Summerside officers joined representatives from police forces all over North America, he said. 

"Hopefully the families feel that support," he said. 

'Happening too frequently'

Blacquiere has attended five or six funerals for slain officers over his career, he said. 

"They're happening too frequently," he said. 

During the funeral Blacquiere said he thought about the dangers of police work and the loss the families suffered. 

Watching Cst. Burns's young sons lay flowers on their mother's casket was a "moving moment," he said. 

Dwelling on the sadness of the funerals isn't helpful though, Blacquiere said.

"You try and get back to business as usual," he said. "If you dwell on things like this, it can lead you to make mistakes you wouldn't normally make and maybe put yourself in compromising situations. You put it behind you." 

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