A chief constable promised to “ensure your memory, your contribution and your sacrifice are never ever forgotten” as he spoke at the funeral of a police officer who died after she stopped to help at a road crash.
More than 800 people gathered at York Minster on Thursday for the full ceremonial funeral of Pc Rosie Prior, who died along with a man last month near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.
The 45-year-old North Yorkshire officer’s cortege was led by a piper and four police horses through the streets of York, which were lined by colleagues and flag-bearers from every force.
In his eulogy, North Yorkshire Chief Constable Tim Forber said Pc Prior “lived by her values, and absolutely delivered the positive impact she desired on the communities she served”.
“The City of York and the County of North Yorkshire owe her a debt of gratitude for her service.”
Mr Forber said: “Like police officers the length and breadth of this country do every day, she placed the safety of the public before her own safety.
“In doing so, she acted in the finest traditions of the British police service.”
Pc Rosie Prior died as she helped at the scene of a road crash (North Yorkshire Police/PA)
The chief constable said: “I address my final words to Rosie. We will continue to protect the communities we serve, and we will do so in your honour, and the honour of those that have fallen before you.
“We will also ensure that your memory, your contribution and your sacrifice are never ever forgotten.”
Mr Forber told the congregation that Pc Prior was the 10th North Yorkshire officer to die in the line of duty since the force was formed in 1974.
He talked about some of the 800 incidents Pc Prior responded to during her two-year career, and said: “These examples are typical of Rosie’s caring nature in action and show that being a police officer was so much more than just a job to her.
“Her kindness and her desire to help people extended way beyond the end of any shift.
“Put simply, it was her nature.”
The Reverend Canon Timothy Goode welcomed the congregation, saying of Pc Prior: “Her kindness, courage and unwavering commitment to helping others affected the lives of so many.
“It should come as no surprise to us, but I’m sure it would have come as a surprise to Rosie, that this magnificent cathedral is full – packed full of people whose lives she touched and packed full of love for the person that Rosie was – courageous, fun, compassionate.
“And, all alongside that unwavering thirst she had for justice.”
Pc Prior’s father, John Kinghorn, told those gathered in the Minster: “We’ve been best friends for 45 years and always will be.”
Mr Kinghorn said his daughter “discovered her true vocation” when she joined the police.
“She absolutely loved the work,” he said.
And he fought back tears as he described his daughter as “our forever conquering hero”.
The Dean of York, the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, told the congregation: “The outpouring of grief at her sudden and tragic death last month will, I deeply hope, remind and reassure not just her family and friends, but people across this city, county and country, that the approval, respect and affection of the public continues to underpin the relationship between our police forces and the public.”
The funeral cortege of Pc Rosie Prior arriving at York Minster (Danny Lawson/PA)
Earlier, Pc Prior’s husband Chris said in a statement: “On behalf of my family and I, I would firstly like to thank North Yorkshire Police and the (Police) Federation for their amazing support during this horrific time.
“I would like to specifically mention our Family Support Officers who have been fantastic.
“The amount of support we have received from family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and Rosie’s work colleagues proves that even in the darkest of times, the world does have amazing people in it.
“I would ask that the media allows the boys and I time to rebuild our lives, noting we will have a huge Rosie void in it, and as such we will not be making any further comments.”
Pc Prior died last month after she came across a road collision on the A19 at Bagby, North Yorkshire.
She was standing on the verge when she and two others were struck by a lorry.
The off-duty officer and Ryan Welford, 41, from Knaresborough, who had been involved in the first collision, died at the scene.
A teenage boy, who was a passenger in Mr Welford’s car, was seriously injured.
Police officers in York Minster (Danny Lawson/PA)
North Yorkshire Police said Pc Prior was born in Leeds and ran a successful coffee business before joining the force in May 2022 as a student officer.
She became a response team member in York and the force said that as part of those duties, she helped search for missing people, including children, and this was an aspect of the job Pc Prior deeply cared about.
The driver of the lorry, a 65-year-old man from Berwick-upon-Tweed, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and later released under investigation, North Yorkshire Police said.
The family has invited guests and members of the public to donate to the Police Children’s Charity, which provides support to police families through adversity and was a charity Pc Prior supported.
Donations can be made at justgiving.com/campaign/rosieprior.