Essex Police Federation takes part in Police Unity Tour

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A group of Essex Police officers, including the Chief Constable and Police Federation reps, cycled 280 miles in last week’s UK Police Unity Tour in honour of officers who have died in the line of duty.

The cyclists stopped at Drayton Manor in Staffordshire to join up with colleagues from around the country and meet the families of fallen officers, before continuing to the nearby National Memorial Arboretum to attend the COPS (Care of Police Survivors) Service of Remembrance.

For Essex Police Federation Vice Chair Steve Martin it was the eighth time he’d taken part in the tour. He admitted he found the cycling “very hard”, but added: “It’s a personal achievement to do the whole ride and as you’re riding you remember what you’re doing it for.”

He continued: “For me, Drayton Manor is the best part of the ride, when you ride in and see the families – you are clapped and cheered in. They’re happy to see you, they understand what you’ve ridden for, you get to pass them the memorial bands that you wear as you ride on the tour. And you also get together with all the other chapters.

“Every year I struggle with the ride and I say I’m not going to do it again, but I will do it again next year.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie was there to see the cyclists off, before making her way to the Remembrance Service. She said: “It was a massive achievement for them. Seeing all the riders come in was just fantastic. They deserve the round of applause they all got.”

She continued: “It’s quite emotional. The service brings it home, what it’s all about. Listening to the families talk about their experiences, and how valuable it was to have other people that have been through the same things, it really is heart-breaking.

“I spoke to Caroline, the sister of Mark Estall, the Essex officer who died on duty in 2017, and she said it shouldn’t be a sad event. It’s for people to come together, united in their grief, but able to celebrate and remember their loved ones. That’s what it’s all been about.”