A poignant graveside ceremony has been held to mark the anniversary of the deaths of the last north police officers to die in the line of duty.
Detective Sergeant Evan Lumsden and Constable Iain Ritchie were killed in the Caledonian Canal at Fort William on November 3, 1968, while operating as part of the Inverness Burgh Police sub-aqua team.
The two men are buried side by side in Tomnahurich Cemetery in the Highland capital.
Yesterday, a small crowd gathered at their graveside to pay tribute, including serving and former police officers.
Among them was current Highlands and islands divisional commander Chief Superintendent Philip MacRae.
The ceremony was organised by Dave Conner, Highlands and islands branch secretary of the Retired Police Officers Association Scotland.
He said it was an “ambition” held among all serving members of the emergency services worldwide that they return home from their duty safe and well.
He said he was aged 15 at the time of the tragedy in 1968 – but he told the gathering he could not forget the aftermath.
Mr Conner said: “I will never forget the gloom that descended on Inverness and the Highlands at that time.
“It was incredible. To lose one bobby was unimaginable. To lose two in one incident was unthinkable.”
Mr Lumsden was 37 years old and a married man with five young children, and Mr Ritchie was just 21 when he died.
Members of the Northern Constabulary Pipe Band played a lament as part of yesterday’s ceremony.
Mr Conner also paid tribute to the other police officers who had died while in the line of duty.
In 1878, Constable James Fraser was fatally stabbed in Grantown and in 1898, Constable Thomas King was shot in woods at Nethybridge by a poacher he knew, while trying to execute an arrest warrant.
In 1938, Constable John Brown was dealing with a road accident on the Nairn road when he was fatally struck by another car at the scene.
There was also a tribute paid to Special Constable Andrew Perrie, who suffered a heart attack after coming to the aid of regular officers trying to contain a disturbance in Inverness town centre on April 15, 1944.
He is also buried in Tomnahurich Cemetery and a lament was played at his graveside yesterday.
