On 22 August 2026, PC Matthew Blades, aged 37, and PC Tom Clough, aged 38, were killed in the line of duty when their marked police vehicle was struck on the A66 near Middlesbrough by a car travelling the wrong way along the carriageway. Neither officer went to work that morning expecting it to be their final shift. Neither returned home to the people they loved.

I never had the privilege of knowing Matthew or Tom personally. I never worked alongside them, shared a shift with them or knew their families. But in policing, there is a bond that exists between us regardless of force, rank or role. When tragedy strikes one of our own, we all feel it. When one of our policing family pays the ultimate price, the loss resonates across the country. We may not have known them personally, but we know the uniform they wore, the commitment they made and the risks they accepted every time they went to work.

Matthew left behind his wife Sarah and two young sons, just six and eight years old. Two little boys who will now have to grow up without their dad. Tom also left behind his partner and two children, alongside parents, siblings, wider family and friends who have been left to cope with a loss that is impossible to comprehend.

As police officers, we understand that every time we put on the uniform, we accept that there are risks involved in protecting the public. But behind every uniform is a person — a husband, a partner, a dad, a son, a brother and a friend. And when an officer doesn't come home, it is those people who are left to carry the consequences for the rest of their lives.

In memory of these officers and their family, on Sunday 4th October I will be taking on the Cardiff Half Marathon. I will be running the full 13.1 miles wearing the very same type of public order equipment that I wear operationally: helmet, fireproof overalls, protective pads and shield.

Every mile, every step and every sweaty and uncomfortable moment in that kit will be for Matthew, Tom and, most importantly, the families and children they left behind. My goal is to raise as much money as possible to provide practical support to those families as they face a future they never imagined they would have to live.

I know there are countless worthy causes asking for your support, but if you can spare anything, please donate. Every contribution is a reminder to these families that their loved ones have not been forgotten — and that the wider policing family stands beside them.

They went to work to protect others. They never came home.

Please help me make sure their families know that they have not been left to face the aftermath alone.