Funeral of PC Matthew Blades is a sombre reminder of the danger that police officers face
The funeral of PC Matthew Blades, who died alongside his colleague PC Tom Clough in a horrific crash which also killed five young men on the A66, was a sombre reminder of the danger that police officers put themselves in to protect their communities.
PC Matthew Blades was the best of society. Not only was he committed to protecting the public but the married father-of-two was also a dedicated football coach in his spare time.
It’s easy to forget that while police officers do an extraordinary job, they are ordinary human beings with families just like the rest of us.
The selfless work that they do is to be applauded but at the same time police officers need all the support that they can get from policymakers. A criminal minority has been emboldened by failings across the legal system.
It starts with youths in balaclavas riding around on e-bikes, baiting police officers and ends in the tragic loss of innocent lives.
New powers to tackle young people wearing balaclavas to intimidate members of the public in Nottingham city centre are set to come into force next week. Some will say that these new powers do not go far enough and these restrictions come into force for Nottinghamshire.
One thing that the deaths of PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough have shown is that the public is very much on the side of police.
Over £1.2m has been raised for the families of the two fallen officers. Tributes have poured in from across the world. Members of the public saying thank you to officers that they see out and about.
Yesterday, it was about commemorating the life of PC Matthew Blades. Everyone’s thoughts will be with his family, friends and colleagues. Police officers up and down the country need all the support they can get as they do their job.