THE LAST of the four PSNI officers killed in a police car crash in the early hours of Sunday has been buried.
Declan Greene, a father of four and a part-time member of the service, was buried after Requiem Mass near Kilkeel, Co Down, a short distance from the scene of the fatal crash.
It was the same church which witnessed the joint funerals of three of Mr Greene's relatives who died in a fishing tragedy off the Co Down coast six years ago.
Mr Greene's children, including one who returned from Australia, led the mourners. The dead man's widow, Róisín, had to be supported as she entered the church.
Senior PSNI and Garda figures attended.
In his homily Fr Peter O'Hare said unanswered questions about the crash which claimed so many lives would have to wait.
"Declan cared for Róisín and his family Rory, Darren, Cormac and Sophie. They were his pride and joy. He lived for them," Fr O'Hare said. "Declan was the practical joker, the one who lit up the room when he came in. He was a person with a wonderful sense of humour, a happy person, an optimistic person. Declan brought joy to every company in which he found himself. He had that wonderful gift to be able to relate to anyone and everyone he met."
He praised Mr Greene's "passion for football", his commitment to Ballymartin GAA club and his desire to serve the local community through his work as a part-time police officer.
Fr O'Hare concluded: "It is now important that this community . . . direct itself towards giving support to Róisín and to the family in the days, weeks and months that lie ahead," he said. "I am quite sure that support will be given and will be experienced just as it was over six years ago, when three generations of Declan's family - his uncle, cousin and second cousin - lost their lives in a fishing tragedy."
Mr Greene was buried in the nearby cemetery.