South Yorkshire police officers cycle 175 miles to honour colleagues who died on duty
“Every mile we ride is in memory of those we have lost, in support of the families left behind”
South Yorkshire police officers cycled 175 miles to honour colleagues who died while on duty.
Thirteen retired and serving officers from South Yorkshire Police joined colleagues from West Yorkshire Police and two bereaved families as part of this year’s UK Police Unity Tour.
The annual event raises money for Care of Police Survivors (COPS), a charity supporting families who have lost police officers in the line of duty.
The riders set off from West Yorkshire Police’s training centre in Wakefield before travelling through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Their route took them through Barnsley, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Tamworth and Drayton Manor before they joined police teams from across the UK at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Among those who took part were Emma and Ella Fields, the wife and daughter of South Yorkshire Police Constable Dave Fields.
PC Fields died while responding to an emergency call on Christmas Day in 2017.
Emma said: “We take part in the UK Police Unity Tour because it gives us an opportunity to honour our dad and husband and remember all of the police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The Police Unity Tour is our way of giving something back. Every mile we ride is in memory of those we have lost, in support of the families left behind.”
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Armstrong, who led the South Yorkshire riders, said the event was a “powerful reminder” of why officers come together each year.
He added that he was “immensely proud” of the 15 riders who took part to remember fallen officers and support their families.