The police family came together at the National Memorial Arboretum yesterday (Sunday 3 August) to round off the 2025 Police Unity Tour (PUT) and pay tribute to police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

As with PUT tradition, the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Service of Remembrance was held after the 530 cyclists taking part reached the arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, from all corners of the country in journeys which started two days earlier on Friday 1 August.

West Mercia Police officers joined the West Midlands Chapter of the PUT – which was in its 13th UK edition – alongside colleagues from the West Midlands, Warwickshire and Staffordshire forces.

The tour raises awareness of fallen officers and boosts the funds of COPS, the charity dedicated to supporting the families of fallen officers providing, among other things, peer support and access to counselling.

 

Fallen West Mercia officers are remembered.

 

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police Federation said: “We are happy to see the Unity Tour still going strong after being introduced to UK policing in 2013, and to see another successful edition held for all the same important reasons as ever.

“It is vital we remember the officers who once worked beside us, stand in solidarity with their families, and raise funds and awareness for the invaluable care given to these people by COPS.

“We hope our Federation members who participated in this year’s event enjoyed themselves and were able to take comfort and pride from the fact they were getting through the miles in honour of all the police officers tragically taken from our profession.

“As always, this would have meant the world to their relatives and their friends both inside and outside of policing, so it undoubtedly was a weekend well spent.”

Tribute

At the remembrance service, a roll of honour was read out in tribute to the officers who have died on duty in the past year:

Acting Sergeant Reece Buckenham of Hertfordshire Constabulary 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.

This was delivered by COPS national president Gill Marshall and was followed by a minute’s silence.

Earlier, Gill had welcomed chief officers, Federation representatives, policing stakeholders and PUT cyclists and support teams to the service, which featured music from the West Midlands Police Brass Band and its vocalist Superintendent Sam Batey, who sang two songs.

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.

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 that 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.

“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 at the time, 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.

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

He said: “We all know COPS was survivor initiated and survivor led, and 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.

This year’s PUT cyclists 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.

The 2026 PUT is set to take place across the weekend of Friday 7 August, with the COPS Annual Service of Remembrance to be held at the National Memorial Arboretum on Sunday 9 August.