Every little helps for upkeep of police memorial

Police officers from West Yorkshire took part in a charity bike ride to raise money for the neglected police memorial site in London.
Established in 2004 by Michael Winner, the memorial honours thousands of officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.
Since then, the Police Federation of England and Wales has paid solely for annual and ongoing maintenance, but the memorial has fallen into disrepair due to lack of maintenance funding.
The cycle ride organiser, Michael Downes, chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said he hopes the ride will encourage forces and police authorities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of the memorial and help pay for its upkeep and cleaning.
Mr Downes has written to each of the 52 forces asking for a 25p donation per officer.
He said: “It must not be the sole responsibility of one organisation but the responsibility of all policing bodies in the UK to pay tribute to fallen colleagues and recognise and appreciate the ultimate sacrifice made by police officers, murdered or killed while protecting the public.
“A small donation from each of the forces will ensure the memorial gets the attention and care it deserves. It must not be overlooked how important this is or what incredible comfort when they visit the capital this provides to the friends and relatives of fallen police officers – to know that their loved ones’ sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Mr Downes was accompanied on the ride by five colleagues, representing all ranks of the police service. The team of six cycled from the memorial for Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford, to the memorial for Ian Broadhurst in Leeds and, on the final Yorkshire leg, laid a wreath at the memorial for John Speed in Leeds city centre. The ceremony took place outside Leeds Parish Church on Saturday, October 31, with a minute’s silence.