Published Monday, 15 June 2009
Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead by the Continuity IRA in March this year, while four other officers died in a horrific road crash last November.
Sir Hugh will take up the presidency of the Association of Chief Police Officers in September after seven years as the top policeman in Northern Ireland and he praised the dedication of the deceased officers.
While his annual report focuses on crime levels and the performance of the police, he noted that 2008/2009 was a particularly difficult year for the service.
"We lost five colleagues - Constable Stephen Carroll was brutally murdered by terrorists and Constables James Magee, Kevin Gorman, Declan Greene and Kenneth Irvine tragically died in a road traffic collision near Warrenpoint," he wrote in the report released on Monday.
"All had one thing in common - they were answering a call for help from their community, the community they served so well.
"Many tributes have been paid to these five officers not only from across Northern Ireland but internationally.
"Indeed, it is a sign of how far we have come here that people from all sides stood together in sorrow at these events.
"It has been a year that we as a Police Service will not forget."
Sir Hugh, meanwhile, said that all members of the police service had continued to work hard to reduce crime levels and protect the public over the last year.
But while crime figures are up, Sir Hugh argued that the increase in recorded crime of 1.5% was relatively small.
He said: "The latest annual statistics for the year under review shows a small increase in recorded crime.
"This increase is the first for over seven years. Our clearance rate has increased by almost 3% (from 20.5% to 23%).
"This means we are catching more criminals and putting them before the courts. We are not complacent."