In the days following the Hartlepool and Redcar services the families of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough released statements that cut through the ceremonial splendour and spoke of raw, ordinary grief. Blades’ family said words were not powerful enough to describe the loss of a best friend, husband, father, brother and son. They thanked every person who had offered support, from neighbours they had never met to officers from distant forces and members of the public who sent flowers to police stations. The day of the funeral, they said, would stay with them forever because of the silence, the claps, the uniforms, the blue lights and every small gesture of respect. Life, they repeated, felt unbearably quiet without his laughter.

Clough’s family echoed the same sentiment, saying Tom would have been amazed at the scale of the response. Cleveland Police Federation chair Lauren Somerville, speaking on their behalf, described the public’s dignity and kindness as a source of comfort that arrived when it was most needed. More than 44,000 people had donated to the appeal that raised £1,203,932 before it closed. Messages came from Australia, France and America. Officers from forces across the country were drafted in to cover Cleveland’s duties so local colleagues could attend the funerals. Traffic officers in white caps were seen hugging one another in the street. A woman from Hartlepool who did not know the family said she felt it was important simply to stand there and show support.

The families asked for privacy while making clear they had felt the presence of so many people as a form of strength. Chief Constable Fuller reiterated that the two men had been professionals who put the public first. The statements avoided any discussion of the ongoing investigation and instead focused on the human cost: two households suddenly without fathers, husbands and brothers, and a police force that had to keep working while mourning. Those who read the family words after watching the processions said the contrast between the public spectacle and the private silence at home made the tributes land even harder. The families said they were taking each day as it came, held up by the knowledge they were surrounded by love they had not expected.

A 27-year-old man, Jesucoeur Alcy, was later charged with vehicular manslaughter, denied bail on the grounds he was in the country on a work permit and posed a flight risk, and remanded until late November. Family members said they were still seeking clarity about exactly how the collision happened. Colleagues remembered Duncombe as a popular officer who carried himself with quiet dignity. The circumstances — an officer performing a ceremonial escort duty when he was hit — added a particular sting that many in the force said they could not shake. Tributes from senior officials emphasised service and the suddenness of the goodbye. The case remains before the courts while the family waits for answers and the police family absorbs another line-of-duty death that began as a routine funeral escort.