West Mercia riders set off on UK Police Unity Tour

Cyclists from West Mercia set off in the rain from Hindlip as part of the West Midlands Chapter of the annual UK Police Unity Tour yesterday.

The cyclists left the force headquarters following a short service to commemorate the fallen officers for whom they are riding.

One of the riders, Assistant Chief Constable Damian Barratt, said: “Since its inception, the annual Police Unity Tour has helped raise awareness of officers and staff who have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the community in which they live and serve.

“It has also provided valuable funding for Care of Police Survivors, a UK charity that provides immeasurable support for the families of those officers and staff left behind.

“It’s an honour to be riding with my colleagues from West Mercia and other forces as part of this national event.”

The tour first came into being in 1997 with 18 riders in the United States.  They rode to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial in Washington D.C, raising some $18,000 in the process for law enforcement projects and schemes in America.

Between 1998 and 2012 the number of riders in the US increased to more than 1,700 annually; and in 2013, inspired by the activities across the Atlantic, two Metropolitan Police officers organised the UK’s first Police Unity Tour.

In July 2013, the UK Police Unity Tour raised £10,000 for the Care of Police Survivors charity (COPS).

Since then it has grown in size to include ‘chapters’ representing a number of different forces from across the country and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the charity.

The West Midlands chapter this year will cover about 200 miles, taking in four regional force areas along its route.

Other ‘chapters’ will cover a similar number of miles between 30 July and 1 August, before finishing at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, where the Care of Police Survivors Memorial Service will take place on Sunday 1 August.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Jones, of West Mercia Police, will be among those who will lay a wreath at the event for fallen colleagues.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK Police Unity Tour had to be cancelled in 2020, but a Virtual Police Unity Tour still managed to raise an incredible £75,000 for COPS.

This year, it’s hoped the UK Police Unity Tour, which is running in both virtual and physical form, will break more fundraising records.