Police Family Remembers fallen colleagues at COPS Weekend

29 July 2024

There was emotion and humour 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 July 28 to pay respects to officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The service in Staffordshire – bathed in glorious sunshine – was attended by around 1,000 people.

Joining them was Sussex Police Federation Chair Raffaele Cioffi, who described the experience as “humbling”.

He said: “The memorial service today was a very touching and emotional piece. There’s a lot of survivors of officers who’ve passed away, and we leave families behind when our members make the ultimate sacrifice.

“You just get to listen to the stories behind the officer, and we never really realise the story behind the officer and what goes on in their personal lives.

“Today really illustrated that to me, how important a charity like Care of Police Survivors really is. To provide that support moving forwards through life after such a devastating loss.

“We have a beautiful venue, what a beautiful way to remember some of those lives that have been lost, and it’s a really humbling experience.”

Events took place all weekend for surviving family members.

During the 50-minute service on Sunday, survivors recalled their loss and how the charity had helped them in their time of need.

Speaking eloquently and emotionally were Sarah Doyle, wife of PC Neil Doyle, of Merseyside Police, Greg Briggs, brother of PC Paul Briggs, of Merseyside Police, and Charlotte Kellaway, daughter of Detective Inspector Ian Kellaway of The City of London Police.

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

Those remembered this year were Police Property Officer Mark Birch, from the British Transport Police, Sgt Graham Saville, of Nottinghamshire Police, Sgt Paul Frear, of West Midlands Police, PC Jack Cummings, of West Yorkshire Police, and Acting Sgt Reece Buckenham, of Hertfordshire Police.

Before the Service of Remembrance, The Police Unity Tour – hundreds of cyclists who had ridden from across the country to the Arboretum in memory of fallen officers – arrived. The cyclists raise money for the COPS charity.

Raffaele also took part in The Police Unity Tour for the first time, adding: “I felt it was important for me, as a representative of the Federation, to be part of it and go through the struggles and the suffering that I have gone through in order to just feel a small fraction that those survivors have gone through, so that I can give back to them in some way.

“There’s so many people here. When I came in, riding through, I was very much lost for words and just tried to enjoy the euphoric feeling.”

Also attending were the Blue Knights motorcyclists.