The tragedy on the A66, in which seven people lost their lives, including two serving police officers, has left the policing family devastated.

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My thoughts remain with the families, friends and colleagues of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.

Across policing, there is a collective sense of shock and grief. These were officers who put on the uniform to serve the public and, tragically, did not return home.

I'm an experienced police officer. I've got 26 years in, and I'm struggling to comprehend the complexities and the actual horror of what's happened. If I feel that way, I can only imagine the impact on the officers and staff in Cleveland who were much closer to these events and who are dealing with the aftermath firsthand.

While the circumstances surrounding the collision must be fully investigated and it would be wrong to prejudge the findings, this tragedy has brought renewed focus to a growing problem that has been concerning police officers for some time.

This issue did not begin with the events on the A66,........

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