COPS service honours fallen officers

4 August 2025

The families of fallen officers gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Sunday for the annual Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Service of Remembrance.

Branch chair Lisa Flanagan represented Derbyshire Police Federation at the service and Chief Constable Rachel Swann attended on behalf of the Force.

They were able to meet with the relatives of some of the Force’s own fallen officers including the family of Bruce Stevenson who was 47 when he collapsed and died while on duty at Cotton Lane Police Station on 7 January 2013 and Angela Morgan, the fiancée of Derbyshire DC Gary Freeman, 36, who died along with DC Anthony Thornley when their vehicle was in collision with a lorry on 19 August 1994.

Lisa said afterwards: “It was an honour to represent the Federation at this service and to meet some of our families. I found it incredibly moving and it truly highlighted the unique role of police officers in our communities and the way in which some pay the ultimate price when serving the public.

“Those who did readings gave a heart-breaking insight into how losing a loved one who was a police officer had affected their lives and really brought it home to everyone that they would never get over it, but they had found a way to live with it.

“It was comforting to know that COPS does so much to support the families of colleagues who die on duty and to hear first-hand about the impact that has on those who turn to COPS for support in their time of need.

“The arboretum was a lovely setting for the service and I would advise anyone who has not been there to make a visit. While it hosts the COPS service each year, it is also home to the UK Police Memorial.”

Service

During the service, Gill Marshall, the COPS national president, read out the roll of honour, featuring the names of officers who had died in the last year:

Acting Sergeant Reece Buckenham of Hertfordshire Police who died on 29 June 2024;

DC Karen Smith of Humberside Police who died on 18 December 2024;

PC Rosie Prior of North Yorkshire Police who died on 11 January 2025;

PC Michael Bruce of the Metropolitan Police who died on 14 June 2025, and

PC Ian Minett of Gloucestershire Constabulary who died on 21 June 2025.

The roll of honour was followed by a minute’s silence.

Gill had earlier welcomed the congregation, including chief officers, Federation representatives, policing stakeholders and those who had completed the Police Unity Tour (PUT), to the service which featured music from the West Midlands Police Brass Band and its vocalist Superintendent Sam Batey who sang two songs.

 

The Derbyshire PUT team are all smiles.

 

Having lost her own police officer husband in 2006, Gill reassured the families of fallen officers at the service that their sacrifice is never forgotten despite the day-to-day challenges of policing.

Three family members who had lost a police officer also gave their own readings.

Laurie Murphy talked about the impact the death of her father – Dyfed Powys DC Roger Meyrick – in 1990 had on her. She was 16 at the time and had a sister who was 13 and a brother who was 9.

Roger was 37 when he died in a head-on car crash with a lorry while he was on surveillance training. Tragically, three other Dyfed Powys Police officers also died as a result of the accident. DCs Leonid Evans, 41, and Nicholas Tabraham, 29, died on the same day while Paul Hetherington, who was 35, died 10 days later.

Journey

In a very moving speech, Laurie recalled the day when officers came to the family home to tell them of her father’s death and told how the family’s world fell apart.

“He was our dad and we loved him so much,” she said.

Laurie explained the impact of realising that her Dad had missed out on so much – seeing her get married, having three children and a grandson and following her brother’s journey to being an Iron Man.

She admitted that she had found it difficult when her husband had joined Dyfed Powys Police as a police officer, but ultimately that had led to her finding out about COPS and getting involved three years ago.

Fiona Deans, sister of PC Peter Deans, 25, of Avon and Somerset Police, told of the effect it had on her when her brother died with colleague PC Jonathan Stapley on 29 December 1984 when they were in a road accident during a police chase.

She said it could be ‘just as hard, just as tough’ to lose an officer when you were a sibling, and welcomed the support of the COPS siblings group and the charity generally.

Remembered

“It’s a huge comfort to know that Peter is remembered and I am remembered,” Fiona said.

The third family member to speak was Susan Gibson, the daughter of Sergeant Edward Thomson of Strathclyde Police. He was 41 when he died on 13 January 1982 after a road accident. Susan, who was 21, had been a nurse at the time and remembered going to the hospital to see him after the accident and expecting him to survive. But sadly he died from catastrophic injuries to his chest.

Devastated by his loss, she said: “I just felt like a big part of me had gone too.”

Susan explained that she had found a lot of comfort and support from COPS, and highlighted the fact the charity gave her access to the Spectrum counselling service.

During the service, wreaths were laid by for the Office of the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, the High Sheriff of Staffordshire, the Home Office, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing, the Blue Knights, the Police Unity Tour and COPS.

 

Branch chair Lisa Flanagan represented the Federation at the service.

 

West Yorkshire Chief Constable John Robins, a COPS trustee, closed the service.

He said: “We all know COPS was survivor initiated and survivor led, it will also always be survivor focussed.”

Chief Constable Robins also thanked everyone involved in the remembrance service, paying tribute to families who he said had faced ‘unimaginable loss’ but stood united and proud in memory of their loved ones.

After the service, families and other guests made their way to The Beat, an avenue of trees dedicated to individual forces and officers to lay wreaths and single red roses.

Earlier in the day, crowds gathered at the arboretum to welcome the arrival of cyclists from forces across England and Wales who had undertaken the PUT, a sponsored ride from their home forces to the service, aimed at raising awareness of fallen officers and raising funds for the COPS charity.

Arboretum

The 530 PUT riders to take part this year were joined as they rode in for the service by 100 members of the Blue Knights, the law enforcement motorcycle club and police motorcyclists from the fleets of several forces.

Former Derbyshire Police Federation secretary Kirsty Bunn was among the Derbyshire riders to take part in the PUT, which involved a three-day bike ride from the Force to the arboretum and aimed to raise awareness of fallen officers and raise funds for COPS. The Derbyshire cyclists were part of the East Midlands Chapter of the PUT.

You can still support the PUT riders by donating via their JustGiving page.

Next year’s COPS service will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday 9 August.