A dedicated team of officers and staff from Wiltshire Police has recently completed a challenging 185-mile cycle ride to pay tribute to their fallen comrades who lost their lives while serving on duty.
The annual Police Unity Tour commenced from Devizes Police Headquarters on a Friday morning, 28th July, with Chief Constable Catherine Roper and a team of supporters present to bid them farewell.
Over the course of three days, the cyclists embarked on their journey to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where a solemn commemoration ceremony was held on Sunday. Officers and staff from police forces across the UK joined in to pay their respects.
Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills led the Wiltshire Chapter for this year’s ride and expressed his gratitude to everyone who participated from the Wiltshire Police contingent.
He said, “I feel privileged again to have been able to take part in another unity tour and to have led this one.
“I want to thank everyone from this year’s Wiltshire Police contingent for taking part and for playing their bit in honouring the memory of all those officers, in particular the 30 Wiltshire officers that have lost their lives since 1839 when Wiltshire Constabulary formed, to this current day.
“Now, more than ever, it is important for all police officers and staff, as well as the wider public, to acknowledge the ever-present dangers and risks of modern-day policing and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives while protecting our communities.
“Also – for those injured in the line of duty – the amount of money raised for the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) charity, is truly phenomenal. As the tour is in its tenth year, I am proud to say that cumulatively, over the 10 previous tours, more than £100,000 has been raised for COPS which is incredible.”
