Eight officers and staff from Derbyshire Constabulary have taken part in the annual Police Unity Tour – a three-day cycle ride in support of UK COPS (Care of Police Survivors).
Riding and training in their own time, the team completed a 180-mile journey to honour fallen colleagues and support their families.
Alongside colleagues from police forces across the East Midlands, they cycled on Friday from Nottinghamshire Police HQ to Leicester, then back up to Derby, visiting memorials across the region along the way.
On Saturday 2nd August, they rode from Derby to Swadlincote and then on to the SnowDome in Tamworth, where the 65-strong East Midlands Chapter joined riders from across the UK. A total of 530 cyclists then completed the final leg to Drayton Manor, where they met families of officers and staff who have lost their lives on duty.
The Tour concluded on Sunday morning (3rd) at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire with the annual COPS memorial service.
Each cyclist wore a wristband bearing the name of a fallen officer, riding in their memory. At the end of the Tour, where the bereaved family is present, the wristband was handed over in a moment of reflection and remembrance.
This year, Derbyshire’s riders and support volunteers rode in memory of: PC Timothy Kent, PC Steven Sharman, PC Bruce Stevenson, PC John Fitton, DC Anthony Thornley, DC Gary Freeman, and PC Mark Wilkinson from Derbyshire Constabulary; Constables Robert Taylor and Darren Bradshaw from the Royal Ulster Constabulary; and PC Allan Shaw of Greater Manchester Police.
A statement described the three-day ride as "...a powerful weekend of remembrance, solidarity, and support – showing that those who lose their lives on duty, and the families who carry the burden of bereavement, are never forgotten."
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