PRISON officers who lost their lives were remembered at an annual memorial service yesterday.
The head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Ronnie Armour, laid a wreath at a garden in Hydebank Wood in Belfast in memory of the 32 officers killed.
The most recent was senior officer Adrian Ismay who was killed in a no-warning blast outside his Hillsborough Drive home in east Belfast in March 2016.
The first prison officer to die was 33-year-old Robert Walker, who was shot in February 1942 as he returned to Belfast Prison after being home for lunch.
The IRA was blamed for the killing.
Family members of officers who were killed and the head of the Department of Justice were among those who also laid wreaths.
Mr Armour said it was important to remember the sacrifice made by some prison staff.
"The annual service of remembrance serves as a reminder of the professionalism, commitment and dedication of governors, officers and support staff of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, past and present, in upholding and maintaining our justice system," he said.
The garden was officially opened in September.
Mr Armour said it the space was a "place of tranquillity and a permanent acknowledgement of the heavy price paid by the families of our murdered colleagues".
