Page 20 - WMPF Federation AUG-SEPT 2019_Neat

Annual remembrance service

West Midlands Chapter of the Police Unity Tour - the chapter included representatives
from the Warwickshire, West Mercia, Staffordshire and West Midlands forces.
Patience and encouragement Remembering

Force’s fallen officers
Riding into the arboretum on a wet and He soon got into his ‘stride’ with the Each of the 460 riders who took part in this
surprisingly cold July morning proved to be a cycling. year’s Police Unity Tour wore a wristband
particularly special moment for West “I needed to get used to the group bearing the name of a fallen officer.
Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke. dynamic and learning to cycle ‘within Where possible, at the end of the ride,
“Seeing the people who’d taken the time yourself’ at times as opposed to being used the cyclists presented the wristband to the
to greet and thank us was great. I came in to cycling alone and purely to your own officer’s family.
with a Staffordshire sergeant who’d had a parameters. The group was mixed ability Rich Cooke rode for West Midlands PC
knee injury so was happy for her to have and there were some challenging hills Ramin Tolouie who died, aged 40, on 16
made it in a big personal achievement,” says through Shropshire so patience and mutual October 2011 when his motorcycle was in
Rich. encouragement was a must,” Rich explained. collision with a car as he rode home from duty.
Rich was honoured to have laid the “The marshalls and organisers were Gill Wall rode for West Midlands Police
wreath on behalf of West Midlands Police brilliant, making sure we were safe and Federation workplace representative PC Mick
Federation to honour fallen officers at the regularly fed and watered. Without their Chapman who died on 14 April 2014. He
start of a memorial service at West Mercia hard work, it would have been impossible. suffered a heart attack having cycled into
HQ Hindlip on the Friday morning before the “Saturday and Sunday were a complete work for a late shift. He was 48.
West Midlands Chapter of riders, which wash-out. The Chief lent me his gilet as I
included cyclists from the West Midlands, hadn’t bargained on the downpour. I was About COPS
Warwickshire, West Mercia and Staffordshire still freezing and wet so was glad whenever
forces, set off. we were moving as it kept me warm.” Care of Police Survivors (COPS) supports
the families of police officers and staff
who have lost their lives on duty.
It provides practical and emotional
‘A magical weekend’ support ensuring survivors have the help
they need to cope with such a tragedy, and
that they remain part of the police family
Force academic researcher Gill Wall has called the Police Unity Tour ‘a magical as they rebuild their lives. It arranges local
weekend’ with the awful weather failing to dampen spirits. and national peer support events and also
But the tour was not without its challenges. works with Winston’s Wish and RedArc to
“The pain of the hills and the heat on Friday and the far too frequent shouts of provide counselling and specialist
‘close the gap’ as my little legs struggled to keep up, quickly dissipated. The bereavement support for families.
camaraderie is something special as is the support from the marshals - after my The charity was founded in 2003 by
chain fell off I felt like Geraint Thomas being brought back to the peloton by survivor Christine Fulton MBE and the late
super-domestique Wout Poels,” says Gill. Jim McNulty, a detective with Strathclyde.
“The readings of family members during the service never fail to bring a tear, and Find out more at www.ukcops.org or
it was an honour and privilege to pass my rider band to Mick Chapman’s Mum.” please follow @ukcops on FB and
@UK_COPS on Twitter.

20 federation August/September 2019 www.polfed.org/westmids