Tributes paid to fallen Humberside Police officer

TRIBUTES have been paid to an “experienced, popular and highly respected” traffic officer who has died at Humberside Police.

PC Russ Wylie, a roads policing officer based at Melton, was involved in a road traffic collision near Burstwick on Monday 13 April.

The 28-year-old officer was taken by air ambulance to Hull Royal Infirmary after the incident but he died the following morning (14 April).

He was riding a Humberside Police motorcycle and was travelling with a second police motorcylist when the collision occurred with a Mitsubishi 4×4 vehicle. The officers were not responding to an emergency at the time of the collision and were travelling at normal patrol speed.

Messages of support for the officer’s friends, family and colleagues have flooded in as the Humberside roads policing team paid tribute to their “trusted, loyal friend, colleague and brother”.

PC Wylie, who worked predominantly on the south bank covering North and North East Lincolnshire, will be “badly missed” by all his colleagues at the force, said Deputy Chief Constable David Griffin.

DCC Griffin said: “Russell was an experienced and highly respected roads policing officer who will be badly missed by all his colleagues and friends in Humberside Police.

“The loss of life of a colleague on duty is felt by everyone in the force. Our heartfelt thoughts are with Russell’s family.

“We are grateful for the numerous messages of support and condolence that have been received from across the country.

“Russell’s untimely death serves as a stark reminder of the risks that face police officers up and down the country day in and day out as they serve and protect the public.

“He was a popular officer who worked as part of a close knit highly professional roads policing team who are devastated by his loss.

“It is a tribute to their professionalism and respect for their colleague that they have immediately resumed their duties to make our roads and communities safer.”

A Humberside Police Federation spokesman said: “It is with heartfelt sadness by all officers and staff of Humberside Police that today we lost an exceptional friend and colleague.

“PC Russ Wylie was a highly respected roads policing officer that was sadly involved in an incident whilst serving the public.

“His loss is felt throughout the force and our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this time.

“He will never be forgotten.”