A Northumbria Police Federation member who is part of the Force’s newly-formed ceremonial unit said the size of the National Police Memorial Day parade was ‘eye-opening’.
PC Neil Jobling and three other members of the ceremonial unit travelled to Coventry Cathedral on Sunday for the NPMD service.
The officers were primarily there to watch and learn about being involved in a national event, with one of the team carrying the Force standard.
And Neil said the sense of occasion left a lasting impression.
“It was really good,” he said. “It was my first time attending a National Police Memorial Day, and our first time as a ceremonial unit being involved in a national occasion, even if it was largely in an observational capacity.”
Neil was joined by Sergeant Matt Pattinson, PC Steve Sibbald, and an officer who did not want to be named.
The unit has been around three years in the making.
Neil and Matt are ex-forces, having served in the Army and RAF respectively, and they recognised a gap in how the Force was represented at local remembrance and memorial events.
Funerals
He said: “We wanted to change that.
“It’s taken the best part of three years to put together a unit that can represent the Force not only at remembrance events, but also at funerals for serving officers and staff.
“Sadly, we’ve already supported too many funerals.”
The officers took the opportunity to observe and learn from the organisers and other forces with more established ceremonial units.
“I’ve got a unit of 20 people with one Force flag,” Neil said.
“To see 30 force flags and 100 people, it emphasised the scale of it all.
Mounted section
“There was the West Midlands Police honour guard, which is the same as our ceremonial unit.
“Then there were all the different force standards, the mounted section, and all the officers from other forces that wanted to march as well.
“It’s exactly what we want to implement here in Northumbria, but on a smaller scale for now.”
The day also provided time for reflection and connection. The unit members toured Coventry’s Blitz-damaged cathedral, spoke with colleagues from other forces, and reunited with their drill instructor from a recent course in Essex.
“Even though it was a very poignant event, it was also uplifting to see so many people coming together,” Neil said.
“It doesn’t happen on any other day of the year.
Sacrifice
“The service was very well run, with a balance between remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and saying prayers for those still serving. It really struck the right tone.”
Neil said there are ambitious plans for the ceremonial unit.
“The long-term plan, we would love to host the National Police Memorial Day in Northumbria,” he said. “That would be great for the Force and for the region.
“I think it opened my eyes as to how much work would go into doing that.
“We’re not at the position yet to be able to do that but, in the future, that’s something we would like to aim for.”
READ MORE: Policing comes together to pay respects to fallen colleagues.