Fallen Colleagues Remembered at Care of Police Survivors Service

4 August 2025

Fallen Colleagues Remembered at Care of Police Survivors Service

There was emotion as police officers who have died on duty were remembered by their family and friends at the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Annual Service of Remembrance.

Surviving family members and serving police officers gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday 3 August to pay their respects to officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

More than 1,000 people attended the service in Staffordshire – where the rain thankfully held off.

Events took place all weekend for surviving family members. 

Leicestershire Police Federation Chair Andy Spence said the service had a duty of care to look after the loved ones of those who died.

He said: “Fallen colleagues leave behind their families, and those families have absolutely no support.

“We've got to remember those families send their loved ones to work with us, they entrust them to us and tragically they've been killed in the line of duty.

“We have a responsibility, we have a duty care, we've got to look out for them as well. And it's so right that they come on that journey with us, that we're able to share those memories with them all the way along.

“We are a family, we all come together, we all look out for each other, we all stand by each other. And when someone's going through a tough time, they've always got somebody there to put a hand around them, to make sure they're okay, to remind them that they're not on their own.

“It's not just weekends like this, it's that contact throughout the year to say to them, ‘We're always here for you. Just because your loved one is no longer in the police, we're still here with you as well’.”

Leicestershire Police Chief Constable David Sandall added: “It’s an absolutely honour to be able to be here with the families of the survivors. I don't think words can really describe some of the emotions that we've seen here.

“The families that still have that connection with Leicestershire Police, they are our broader family and it's just amazing that we can come back and honour that in such a supportive way.”

During the one-hour service on Sunday, survivors recalled their loss and how the charity had helped them in their time of need.

Two daughters of fallen police officers and a sister of a colleague who died on duty spoke with emotion and humour recalling their loved one.

The Roll of Honour for the police officers and who have died on duty during the past 12 months was read out.

Those remembered this year were Acting Sgt Reece Buckenham, of Hertfordshire Police; DC Karen Smith, of Humberside Police; PC Rosie Prior, of North Yorkshire Police; PC Michael Bruce, of the Metropolitan Police; and PC Ian Minett, of Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The Police Unity Tour arrived before the Service of Remembrance – more than 500 cyclists who had ridden from across the country to the Arboretum in memory of fallen officers.

The cyclists raise money for the COPS charity – and this year raised in excess of £230,000. Andy took part in the tour for the first time.

He said: “I was sat next to a survivor last and I was able to share stories with them all the way around. They've just inspired me to take part. And I was riding this year, I had survivors around me chatting to them, chatting to the about their experience as well. It was so moving.

“I loved it, I really did, genuinely loved it. Don't get me wrong, we don't like the hills but we're there for everybody and you do it as a group. And when there's 70 of you going up and down the hill and you're all cheering and there's great camaraderie, it's a team spirit.”

CC Sandall added: “I've had the honour of riding the last three days with an amazing team of Leicestershire but also police officers and staff from across our region.

“As we ride we're wearing something that honours them and actually understanding all the details around what that meant, how they lost their lives and because people have been lost over many years and that's the importance that they’ll never be forgotten in Leicestershire Police.

“I think when you look at the amount of people that are here, the amount of care that people have, but also the sacrifices that people give within policing.

“It’s the police that step forward when they need to safeguard people, it's the police that make such a difference to community, to society and that's what we're really brings it home today.”

Also attending were the Blue Knights motorcyclists.