No member of our GMP family will
ever forget where they were on the morning of Tuesday 18th September 2012 when
they heard the news that two of our colleagues had been shot in Tameside. We
all hoped in vain that the initial scant details were either inaccurate or
exaggerated and that our colleagues would pull through. However as morning
turned to afternoon our worst fears were realised as we heard the tragic news
that Pcs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone had died.
We all remember the emotions we went through, the anger, the frustration, both of which were simply borne out of the fact that that we could not reconcile ourselves with what we were being told had happened - It defied all logic. We all know that policing is a dangerous job, but when colleagues are hurt or killed there is always some perverse reason behind it, however criminal that may be.
This was at the heart of the incredible reaction that we as a policing family saw on the day itself and over the weeks that followed. These events touched people from far and wide in ways that had never seen before and we hope to God we never see again. Messages of support for the family and friends of Nicola and Fiona came in from quite literally around the globe. Hardened criminals handed flowers in at a GMP desk and I particularly remember opening a card from an elderly couple who wanted to send what little amount of money they had spare in order to show support and help those who grieved.
We all remember the atmosphere in our police stations as night fell. The air hung heavy and nobody knew what to say, because there was nothing to say.
But the job had to go on and right from that fateful moment GMP police officers stayed out there on the streets of Greater Manchester protecting our communities, because that is what we do and that is precisely what Nicola and Fiona would have expected them to do. Stopping work was never an option for us, indeed quite the opposite happened. As soon as they heard the news police officers from across Manchester stopped what they were doing and turned into work either early for afternoon and night shifts or on their day off. They did not do this because the demand had suddenly increased, they did it to stand shoulder to shoulder with friends and colleagues and to show that this is our family and in times of need families come together to protect each other. That sentiment of support grew throughout the days that followed as we heard from other Federations who had been contacted by police officers wanting to come up on rest days to show support for their GMP colleagues.
We all remember the wake that was held at the place that our friends fell in Mottram. It absolutely poured down, but nobody really noticed. The was something very personal about that short service. This was the first time that GMP had been able to come together to grieve. As we stood there in the rain the community of Tameside stood with us, yet despite the very public nature of this gathering it somehow felt incredibly private and enabled everybody to release the pent up emotions of recent days. It also made every one there very focused on giving our colleagues a funeral and memorial that Manchester would remember for many years.
It turned out that we were not alone in that intention either. We all know that the overwhelming proportion of our communities are made up of thoroughly decent people who were as hurt and horrified by the events of that day as we were. As the funerals drew closer messages of support poured in from police officers from across the whole of the UK, each wanting to come to Manchester to work their days off to enable GMP colleagues to attend the funerals. Retired police officers and support staff offered to come in and work the communications rooms and we saw demand on the GMP switchboard reach breaking point as members of the public rang in wanting to know what the arrangements for the days were.
The plan was to fill the approach to the Cathedral with as many police officers and members of the public as could be mustered. I will confess a few small worries the night before, it was after all a working day for people and the wheels of Greater Manchester have to keep turning. However I soon saw how much I had underestimated the resolve of the people who make up our great city and that of our wider police family. By 11am it seemed that virtually every off-duty police officer in the country had travelled to be with us and were standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Greater Manchester and beyond. I remember standing at the junction of Deansgate and Market Street and it looked just like a football match day as people in their droves made their way down to join us. Train Operators laid on free travel for police officers and local bus drivers quite simply refused to take fare money off people travelling into the city.
If something of beauty can ever be born out of such horror then the funerals encompass that description completely. There can be no words to express the pure emotion of both services. The dignity of the families and the sheer single-minded professionalism of their colleagues is beyond mere words. All that can be said is that GMP set out to do its very best to say thank you and goodbye to two young ladies who we cared about very deeply and that is precisely what we all did.
We all know that it is so important to remember that all the time this was taking place police officers across the force area were still doing the job, because the job never stops. However every one of those officers was as much a part of that service as anyone in that Cathedral and that is because we are a family and a family looks after its own.
I want to conclude this piece with paragraph taken from a letter sent to me from Nicola's proud father, Bryn Hughes, which he asked to be read out at a recent Federation meeting:
'We all expect police officers to come to our assistance when we need them and we know that now it must be very difficult to do that knowing the potential dangers that you could face. All we ask is that as members of the public ourselves and proud members of Nicola's family, please keep doing just that'.
We all remember the emotions we went through, the anger, the frustration, both of which were simply borne out of the fact that that we could not reconcile ourselves with what we were being told had happened - It defied all logic. We all know that policing is a dangerous job, but when colleagues are hurt or killed there is always some perverse reason behind it, however criminal that may be.
This was at the heart of the incredible reaction that we as a policing family saw on the day itself and over the weeks that followed. These events touched people from far and wide in ways that had never seen before and we hope to God we never see again. Messages of support for the family and friends of Nicola and Fiona came in from quite literally around the globe. Hardened criminals handed flowers in at a GMP desk and I particularly remember opening a card from an elderly couple who wanted to send what little amount of money they had spare in order to show support and help those who grieved.
We all remember the atmosphere in our police stations as night fell. The air hung heavy and nobody knew what to say, because there was nothing to say.
But the job had to go on and right from that fateful moment GMP police officers stayed out there on the streets of Greater Manchester protecting our communities, because that is what we do and that is precisely what Nicola and Fiona would have expected them to do. Stopping work was never an option for us, indeed quite the opposite happened. As soon as they heard the news police officers from across Manchester stopped what they were doing and turned into work either early for afternoon and night shifts or on their day off. They did not do this because the demand had suddenly increased, they did it to stand shoulder to shoulder with friends and colleagues and to show that this is our family and in times of need families come together to protect each other. That sentiment of support grew throughout the days that followed as we heard from other Federations who had been contacted by police officers wanting to come up on rest days to show support for their GMP colleagues.
We all remember the wake that was held at the place that our friends fell in Mottram. It absolutely poured down, but nobody really noticed. The was something very personal about that short service. This was the first time that GMP had been able to come together to grieve. As we stood there in the rain the community of Tameside stood with us, yet despite the very public nature of this gathering it somehow felt incredibly private and enabled everybody to release the pent up emotions of recent days. It also made every one there very focused on giving our colleagues a funeral and memorial that Manchester would remember for many years.
It turned out that we were not alone in that intention either. We all know that the overwhelming proportion of our communities are made up of thoroughly decent people who were as hurt and horrified by the events of that day as we were. As the funerals drew closer messages of support poured in from police officers from across the whole of the UK, each wanting to come to Manchester to work their days off to enable GMP colleagues to attend the funerals. Retired police officers and support staff offered to come in and work the communications rooms and we saw demand on the GMP switchboard reach breaking point as members of the public rang in wanting to know what the arrangements for the days were.
The plan was to fill the approach to the Cathedral with as many police officers and members of the public as could be mustered. I will confess a few small worries the night before, it was after all a working day for people and the wheels of Greater Manchester have to keep turning. However I soon saw how much I had underestimated the resolve of the people who make up our great city and that of our wider police family. By 11am it seemed that virtually every off-duty police officer in the country had travelled to be with us and were standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Greater Manchester and beyond. I remember standing at the junction of Deansgate and Market Street and it looked just like a football match day as people in their droves made their way down to join us. Train Operators laid on free travel for police officers and local bus drivers quite simply refused to take fare money off people travelling into the city.
If something of beauty can ever be born out of such horror then the funerals encompass that description completely. There can be no words to express the pure emotion of both services. The dignity of the families and the sheer single-minded professionalism of their colleagues is beyond mere words. All that can be said is that GMP set out to do its very best to say thank you and goodbye to two young ladies who we cared about very deeply and that is precisely what we all did.
We all know that it is so important to remember that all the time this was taking place police officers across the force area were still doing the job, because the job never stops. However every one of those officers was as much a part of that service as anyone in that Cathedral and that is because we are a family and a family looks after its own.
I want to conclude this piece with paragraph taken from a letter sent to me from Nicola's proud father, Bryn Hughes, which he asked to be read out at a recent Federation meeting:
'We all expect police officers to come to our assistance when we need them and we know that now it must be very difficult to do that knowing the potential dangers that you could face. All we ask is that as members of the public ourselves and proud members of Nicola's family, please keep doing just that'.
God bless Nicola and Fiona and
may they now rest in peace.
Ian Hanson
Chairman
Greater Manchester Police Federation
Ian Hanson
Chairman
Greater Manchester Police Federation
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