HE LEFT FOR WORK — BUT NEVER CAME HOME: REMEMBERING PC DAVID PHILLIPS

Eleven years on, the memory of the 34-year-old Merseyside police officer lives on through his family, colleagues and the community he served.

Today, people remember PC David “Dave” Phillips, the Merseyside Police officer who lost his life while carrying out his duty on October 5, 2015.

He was just 34 years old.

A husband.

A father of two young girls.

And a police officer who never made it home from his final shift.

THE CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

In the early hours of October 5, 2015, officers were responding to a burglary in Birkenhead after a red Mitsubishi pick-up truck was stolen.

The vehicle was being pursued as officers attempted to bring it to a stop in Wallasey.

David and a colleague were positioned on the central reservation and were preparing to use a stinger device to puncture the vehicle’s tyres.

But the stolen pick-up mounted the central reservation and struck David.

He suffered catastrophic injuries and was taken to hospital after colleagues performed emergency treatment at the scene.

He died shortly afterwards.

An inquest later recorded that he died from shock and haemorrhage caused by an injury to the thoracic aorta.

HE LEFT BEHIND A YOUNG FAMILY

David was married to Jen, and together they had two daughters, Abigail, seven, and Sophie, three.

His death meant that two little girls suddenly had to grow up without their father.

In the days following his death, Jen and the girls visited the place where David had been struck and laid flowers.

Abigail wrote a heartbreaking message describing her father as the “best dad ever” and calling him her hero.

The words captured the enormous gap his death had left behind.

A POLICE OFFICER REMEMBERED AS EXCEPTIONAL

David had served with Merseyside Police for around nine years.

His colleagues described him as a respected and exceptional officer, while the force remembered the risks he had taken in an attempt to protect the public.

His death became a painful reminder of the dangers faced by officers who respond to emergencies every day.

At his funeral, hundreds of police officers from across the country gathered alongside his family and friends at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

His widow and daughters led the procession, while officers stood in tribute to a colleague who had died in the line of duty.

A MEMORY THAT HAS NEVER FADED

A memorial to David was later unveiled at Hamilton Square Gardens in Birkenhead in October 2017.

The memorial stands as a permanent reminder of the officer who gave his life while trying to stop a stolen vehicle.

But for those who loved David, his memory is not simply held in a memorial.

It lives in photographs.

In stories.

In the memories of his colleagues.

And most of all, in the two daughters who once looked up to him as their hero.

“WE REMEMBER YOU, DAVE”

More than a decade after that devastating morning, the anniversary remains a difficult one for David’s family and those who served alongside him.

He was only 34 when his final shift ended.

He left behind a wife who had lost her husband and two young daughters who had lost their dad.

Today, his name is remembered once again.

PC David Phillips — husband, father, colleague and officer.

Gone, but never forgotten.