Unity Tour Returns to Honour Fallen Officers and Support Bereaved Families

There is just one month to go until police officers from around the country will get on their bikes to remember officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

The Police Unity Tour will roll into the National Memorial Arboretum in Lichfield on 3 August, culminating in the Care of Police Survivors’ Annual Service of Remembrance.

The tour honours law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and raises funds for the loved ones left behind.

Each year the route ends beneath the grove of chestnut trees, each representing a different force and recalling the original wooden truncheon, where officers, staff associations and the wider police family gather to pay their respects.

Steve Kent, Chairman  of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “It’s a fantastic thing and it really does give a lot of comfort and support to families of people who we’ve lost in the line of duty. It is absolutely vital we support it and it is a privilege to do so.”

South Yorkshire’s branch provides a dedicated welfare van for the weekend, ensuring officers and families have refreshments and a place to gather. “The van has a busy old month because we’ve also got the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield the week before, which I’m going to be on the welfare van for. That’s what it’s there for, it’s absolutely a privilege to do it,”  he added.