GMP inundated with support in wake of atrocity

PUBLIC EXPRESSED GRATITUDE TO OFFICERS AFTER BOMB

IN the wake of the Arena bomb, Greater Manchester Police received an ‘unprecedented level’ of gifts from the general public to say thank you.

GMP were among the first people on the scene after the tragic events of May 2017 helping evacuate people from the area and caring for the injured.

In the days after the incident members of the public tried to express their gratitude and some of the ways they tried to thank the force are recorded in GMP’s Hospitality and Gifts Register. The Register noted: “On behalf of all our emergency service partners and those working in other agencies supporting us during the aftermath of the attack,

“GMP would like to thank everyone for their generous and kind offers and acts of support.”

In the immediate aftermath, countless organisations and charities gave their support - these ranged from a waste firm offering to help clean up or a Sikh temple providing bottles of water to the scene.

Ch Con Ian Hopkins was also given the use of a Holiday Inn hotel room for an hour’s rest and a shower during this time, with the hotel chain refusing to take payment.

A local childminder dropped off some drawings done by the children in her care.

These were framed and put up in the Counter Terrorism Office to remind officers of the people they serve and the support they have in the community.

At this time, a retired police officer and his daughter travelled to the city with a mobile coffee unit to hand out free drinks and were directed to the hospital to give them to the injured children.

Police were also given dozens of tickets to the Ariana Grande One Love concert and to Michael Carrick’s testimonial match in June. They do not normally except such a large gift but described these as ‘exceptional circumstances’ and all who attended gave a £10 donation to the Red Cross.

Both during the incident and afterwards, some of the country’s biggest supermarket chains gave plenty of refreshments.

Waitrose, Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons and Co-op all provided various drinks and snacks for officers or those affected.