Family of fallen officer presented with memorial bracelet

The family of a former Hampshire police officer who died on duty have been presented with a memorial bracelet worn in his honour during a charity cycling challenge.

PC Jeffrey Whitcombe sadly died from a medical episode while on duty in February 1987.

To honour his memory, Acting Chief Constable Ben Snuggs took part in this year's Police Unity Tour.

Every year riders and survivors from across policing cycle from their home force to the Care of Police Survivors (COPS) Annual Service of Remembrance at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire, with each cyclist riding in the name of a fallen officer.

The challenge raises money for the charity COPS. This year the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police team raised £20,000 so the charity can continue to offer support to the surviving families of officers who have died on duty.

Each rider is given a blue band engraved with the name of the officer they are riding for and an 'End Of Watch' date. At the end of the challenge, the riders are able to give the band to any surviving family members present.

However, A/CC Snuggs found that COPS had no contact details for PC Whitcombe's family and decided to track them down himself.

Several weeks after the event after successfully contacting the family, on Friday 11 November, PC Whitcombe's widow Sue and his daughter Kim came to the force's training headquarters in Netley to receive the bracelet.

A/CC Snuggs and the force's chaplain, Revd Dom Jones, escorted them around the grounds to see PC Whitcombe's name engraved on our memorial wall.

Sue said: "When Jeff died his daughter was only five months old and the police looked after us very well.

"It was very nice that they bothered to track me down and that Ben wanted to make sure the bracelet got passed on to the appropriate family.

"To know that somebody consciously picked him out and rode in his memory was very nice and very touching. I have to thank him for doing that.

"I'd like to thank everybody who spent time with us on Friday."

A/CC Snuggs said: "When you ride on the Unity Tour you ride with this blue bracelet on your wrist to remind you who you are riding for.

"When we contacted Sue and Kim, they didn't know about the Unity Tour or that I was riding for Jeff.

"Meeting them was extremely humbling and they were bowled over that after all these years Jeff had not been forgotten.

“Some of our colleagues also remember Jeff and working with him.

"The Unity Tour is a great way of supporting the families of fallen officers and I am delighted that we have been able to actively demonstrate to Jeff’s family that our police family extends to them and that we will always remember him.

"It was a moving moment for me to hand Jeff’s commemorative blue band to Sue and Kim. It is now where it should be, with his family."

COPS chief executive, Tim Buckley, said: “A/CC Snuggs efforts to track down PC Whitcombe's family are amazing we will now be able to extend them our full support.

"Every year I am absolutely humbled by the efforts of those who ride in the Unity Tour, aside from the amazing amount of money raised, that single act of remembrance means so much to the families and when they receive the blue bands bearing their loved one’s names it means the world.

“COPS now supports almost 600 survivors from all corners of the UK and can only do so because of the extraordinary fundraising efforts of the Unity Tour, we cannot thank them enough.”