Rock that unites police with New York counterparts

IT is just a small piece of rock. But it unites the bravery and sacrifice of police officers in Berkshire with their counterparts in New York.

When Caroline Seward, a member of British Airways cabin crew knew she was heading to the Big Apple, she decided to take a little piece of England with her.

Caroline, from Thatcham, who is also a member of the Reading Kindness Rocks group, asked founder, Debs Baldree, for a collection of painted rocks she could leave around the city.

One of them was a tribute to PC Andrew Harper, from Thames Valley Police who, in 2019, was killed while investigating the theft of a quad bike.

As he questioned three men, one of them sped off in a car catching PC Harper’s leg in a tow rope and dragging him a mile to his death.

The crime shocked the nation not least because the brave police officer had only married his partner, Lissie, a few months earlier.

Caroline placed a number of painted rocks from the Reading group around New York’s Central Park but had a special plan for one dedicated to PC Harper.

“I was jogging through the park leaving rocks in different places but kept that one in my hand,” she said.

“On one side was a drawing of an angel and on the other the words ‘In memory of PC Harper and all Blue Lights crews.’

“!Suddenly, a police car went past and I ran after it. I started to speak to the officers inside who must have thought I was some mad English woman.