Qld police shooting: Memorial service for Rachel McCrow, Matthew Arnold
Two Queensland police officers who lost their lives in an ambush that shocked the nation have been posthumously awarded medals usually given after more than a decade of service, as thousands gathered to mourn the duo.
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Two Queensland police officers who lost their lives in an ambush that shocked the nation have been posthumously awarded the National Police Service Medal and the National Medal, as well as the Queensland Police Service Medal - all usually given after more than a decade of ethical and dedicated service.
They were also awarded the Queensland Police Valour Medal, the highest level of recognition of bravery the QPS can award.
The medals were awarded as thousands of people gathered to pay their respects to the officers, constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold, at a memorial service with full honours.
The service was held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, where some 10,000 people were in attendance.
Family members of the fallen officers made their way to the front of the room to touch the coffins before the ceremony began, as police officers filled the venue - including survivors Keely Brough and Randall Kirk.
Outside the entertainment centre, specialist officers from the Public Safety Response Team were part of patrols around the venue.
Police from other jurisdictions, including the New South Wales Police Force, and the Australian Federal Police have attended to pay their respects, while Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics are also in the large crowd.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk took a seat at the front of the auditorium, close to Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.
Queensland Governor Jeanette Young was first to lay a wreath as the public memorial service for the young constables began, while Ms Palaszczuk also laid a wreath, making a sign of the cross as she paid her respects.
Police Minister Mark Ryan and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli were among those also seated in the front row with the Premier and Prime Minister.
Federal Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton, a former Queensland police officer, also paid his respects.
Const McCrow’s dog Archibald was also brought into the auditorium for the service.
As the service began the audience was asked to stand for the flag party which consisted of Australian National Flag Ensign Senior Sergeant Kelly Miles, Queensland State Flag Ensign Sergeant Nathan Schaeffer and Queensland Police Service Flag Ensign Sergeant Colin Flaherty.
Police Chaplain Jeffrey Baills began the ceremony with a welcoming address.
“Matthew and Rachel are side-by-side today,” he said.
“They’re worthy of equal honours. They worked together, they served their community together and sadly they died together.
“So as work colleagues, it is fitting that this service is conducted side-by-side together.”
The Premier then offered a message of condolence as police officers in the crowd were overcome with emotion.
“There are no words that can heal this awful grief and crushing loss which is why we come together today,” she said.
“In this sea of blue, on an ocean of tears, across our state and around our country, we will shoulder this burden together.
“We will rededicate ourselves to their example.
“In honour of two young people who lived what they believed.”
A eulogy and reflective presentation for Const Arnold was read by Senior-Sergeant Laura Harriss.
“He was a protector, a leader, and a big brother to all those that knew him,” Sen-Sgt Harriss said.
“He was a big man with an even bigger heart so filled with love for those around him.”
She said Const Arnold had been a role model during school and “inspired greatness in those around him.”
“Matt’s smile and charisma were his best tools and he used them relentlessly,” she said.
“He realised there were two ways ro get through high school, the first option was dedication to study, the second, was charm.
“He chose the latter.”
With her voice breaking, Sen-Sgt Harriss read a letter written by Const Arnold to his parents during Year 12.
“Just know that I will never leave you. I will cherish every moment we’ve had together in my heart forever,” she read.
Commissioner Carroll was visibly upset as the emotional eulogy was read.
The voice of Senior Constable Melissa Gibson broke as she read an emotional eulogy for her “mate” Const McCrow.
“She could light up any room on the darkest of days,” she said.
“For every bit of evil in this world, Rach more than anyone would be reminding us that there are still good people who need our help.
“Rach I’m so proud of you for the courage you displayed in your final moments and for being the fighter that you are.
“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most, that is something that will forever haunt me.”
Quoting from a famous Winnie The Pooh line, Constable Gibson farewelled her friend saying: “How lucky are we to have someone that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Constable Freddy Hartigan also spoke of Const McCrow’s dedication to the QPS.
“You were the police officer that the world now so loudly demands,” he said.
He said being asked to speak about Const McCrow today was “the greatest honour of his life.”
“The blue family is forever here with you,” he said to the McCrow family.
“Rach you will forever mean so much to us. You were the lynchpin holding our eccentric groups of recruits together.
“The absolutely goof that we love.”
Police Chaplain Jeffrey Baills said the “barbaric” acts that took place on December 12 had “irreparably” damaged the families of fallen officers.
“What happened on December 12 was un-Australian and does not belong in this country,” he said.
“It was abhorrent, it was not of God, it was of absolute evil.”
“We have had a major attack on the police in Queensland - we will not be broken - but we will turn up to our shifts tomorrow and stand shoulder to shoulder again and seek to do the best we can to keep Queensland safe.”
Mr Baills also paid tribute to Alan Dare, the neighbour who was also killed in the ambush.
Commissioner Carroll read statements of service for the two constables.
She said Const McCrow had always had a “keen interest” in law enforcement and had dreamt of becoming a police officer since Grade 9.
She was the “first one to stand up and support others”, Ms Carroll said.
“Rachel being the larrikin that she was, always let it slip that she had worked at the CCC, just to cause a bit of mystery with her colleagues,” she said.
Speaking about Const Arnold, Ms Carroll said “Matthew would never let go of his dream” to join the QPS, which he did just three months after his first job as a security guard.
Ms Carroll said Const Arnold was “extremely well-respected” and “always dedicated his time” to the community of Tara.
“Matthew and Rachel were colleagues and friends who have been taken from us way too soon,” Ms Carroll said.
Ms Carroll acknowledged the two police officers’ professionalism and dedication to the QPS by awarding them the following awards.
“The National Police Service Medal and the National Medal - are two national level service medals... these two medals are usually awarded to Australian police officers in recognition of 15 years of diligent and ethical service as a police officer and for protecting life and property,” she said.
“These two medals can be awarded in circumstances where police officers’ services have been cut short.
“Similarly the Queensland Police Service Medal may be awarded in similar circumstances, this medal is usually awarded after a member of the QPS has 10 years of service of ethical and diligent service and it is my great honour to posthumously award these two to our two young constables.
“Finally, in acknowledgment of the exceptional bravery displayed by Matthew and Rachel I have posthumously awarded them the Queensland Police Valour medal, which is the highest bravery award the commission of the Queensland Police Service can award.
“The Queensland community has been well and truly served by Constable Matthew Arnold and Constable Rachel McCrow, and the Queensland Police Service is a better organisation for having had Matthew and Rachel as our valued members, they are and will continue to be greatly missed.”
Bagpipes were played as the bodies of Const Arnold and Const McCrow were taken out of the Entertainment Centre.
Police officers then formed a guard of honour, saluting their fallen colleagues as each hearse drove past.
QLD COMES TOGETHER IN SERVICES ACROSS THE STATE
The memorial service was livestreamed across the state, including at Tara, where Constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were based, in Mackay and at King George Square in the Brisbane CBD.
There was a heavy emergency service and corrections presence at King George Square, where the flags around Brisbane City Hall flew at half mast.
Hundreds of mourners wore blue and white ribbons, shedding tears as the memorial played out on a big screen, while children approached two police officers to pay their respects.
A group of 13 Queensland Fire and Rescue Members then shook the officers hands offering condolences.
Officers from Queensland Corrective Services and paramedics later stood behind the officers in a show of support.
Council staff lined the entrance of City Hall as they watched the televised memorial.
WHO WERE CONSTABLES MATTHEW ARNOLD AND RACHEL MCCROW
Constable Matthew Arnold joined the Queensland Police Service in November, 2019, when he began his training at the academy at Oxley.
Born to parents Terry and Sue in 1996, Const Arnold was a triplet with brother James and sister Hayley.
He attended St Laurence’s College, where he was a talented athlete. He played cricket at an A grade level before moving onto volleyball, where he represented Australia in the Australian school boys side.
After school, Const Arnold continued coaching volleyball, working with teams from both St Laurence’s College and Loretto College.
He’d dreamt of becoming a police officer at high school but studied human movement at Australian Catholic University before moving on to secondary teaching at the University of Southern Queensland.
After taking a gap year, Const Arnold completed a certificate four in security and took a job in that field.
But he had also applied to the QPS and was accepted just three months into beginning work in security.
His facilitators at the academy said he excelled in everything and had a cheeky disposition.
They said he was always smiling, got along with everyone and could always be relied upon.
Const Arnold graduated from the academy on March 27, 2020 and was initially sent to Dalby police station.
According to the QPS, he was well liked, showed great enthusiasm and developed a love for community policing.
In April the following year, Const Arnold was transferred to Tara police station where he remained until he was killed in the line of duty on December 12, 2022.
Constable Rachel McCrow was born in 1993 in Rockhampton to parents Judy and Wayne.
Const McCrow, her parents and sister Samantha lived in Gladstone for some years before the family moved to Brisbane’s Northside.
She attended Albany Hills State School until grade five before moving to Geneses Christian College at Bray Park.
She excelled academically and was the school’s swimming aged champion for a number of years.
Const McCrow studied justice studies at the Queensland University of Technology and spent some time travelling overseas before gaining a position with the Crime and Corruption Commission.
She initially took a casual position as an Electronic Collection Monitor while completing studies to enter the Queensland Police Service.
In April 2017, four months after beginning work for the CCC, Const McCrow was temporarily appointed to the position of Operations Support Officer in Crime Hearings and Legal.
She was made permanent in this position two years later.
The following year, in February 2021, Const McCrow resigned from the CCC after being accepted into the police service.
She completed her training in Townsville, where she excelled in her academic and operational training.
Her facilitators described her as a beautiful person who had always striven to achieve the highest results and was always willing to help others.
She graduated on June 24 and was initially stationed in Dalby.
She was well loved and is remembered for her enthusiasm for policing and the local community.
Const McCrow was transferred to Tara police station on July 21, 2022, where she remained until she was killed in the line of duty on December 12, 2022.
She is remembered for her humour, for always having a funny story to tell and for her support for others.
She was described as courageous, as the first person to stand up for others.
THE VICIOUS MURDERS THAT SHOCKED A NATION
Constables McCrow, 29 and Arnold, 26 were murdered on December 12 during a routine missing persons inquiry at a property in Wieambilla on the western Darling Downs.
The two officers, along with Constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk, had gone to the house of Gareth and Stacey Train to ask after Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, a former school principal reported missing in New South Wales.
All three Trains were at the property and opened fire on the four officers as they approached the house.
Const Kirk managed to escape in a police car while Const Brough fled into the bush.
The trio hunted Const Brough for about two hours, firing their weapons and setting fire to scrub to flush her out.
A neighbour, Alan Dare, was also murdered by the Trains when he came to investigate the fire.
All three family members were killed by Special Emergency Response Team officers following a siege at the property.
Constables McCrow and Arnold are expected to be given posthumous bravery awards and will be honoured with a procession of police motorcycles, the dog unit, the mounted unit and a flyover by both police helicopters.
Both police helicopters responded to the December 12 siege.
The coffins of the slain officers will be draped in Queensland Police Service flags and a guard of honour 1.5km long will form around the entertainment centre.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
A GoFundMe page has been set up by a group of Australian Defence Force members and police to raise money for the two surviving officers.
“We just wanted to get some money together for them so they can just do whatever they want, to make their lives a bit easier,” said ex-ADF member Mindy Mackay, who is working alongside former police officer Shaun O’Gorman.
“If they wanted to do anything like go on a holiday to get away from the stress and the pressure and the attention they are under right now, we wanted to make that possible.”
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