Officer speaks of joy after being involved in Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay

With the Commonwealth Games having come to an end, one officer from Staffordshire Police who took part in the Queen’s Baton Relay ahead of the Games has spoken of his pride of being part of the Relay.

And he is already back on shift at the force.

PC Jonathan Vernon, a response officer based at Cannock Police Station, successfully applied to be part of the police relay team and was part of the team in guarding The Queen’s Baton as it made its way through the country.

On 7 October, the Baton embarked on its international journey where more than 7,500 Batonbearers carried the Baton as as it spanned 72 nations and territories. The Baton returned to England on 4 July for a 25-day tour of the country, with over 2,000 Batonbearers taking part. The journey concluded at the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on 28 July.

Two moments in the Baton Relay stood out for Jonathan and he said: “The whole experience has been fantastic. I’ve spent six weeks travelling around England and Scotland, being welcomed by enthusiastic and excited crowds.

“It was great to see so many communities coming together in such a positive way. A highlight for me was in Malvern just because of the sheer volume of people who turned out, although I hadn’t been warned about the hill I had to run up at the end!

“Another highlight was seeing the Baton enter the Opening Ceremony and that was a special moment. It was a case of job well done and signified the end of the journey.

“I’m already back to the day job on response. The first job I went to on my first shift resulted in a lock up, so it was very much back to reality.”

Jonathan also spoke about how proud he was to represent Staffordshire Police in the Relay. He said: “Being involved in the Relay reminded me of how proud I am to be a police officer and work for Staffordshire Police.

“It was certainly a change from my usual policing duties.

“As the Baton made its way through Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley, I was able to meet a few of my colleagues and my family also attended in Hednesford which made the experience even more worthwhile.

“The spectators and athletes were very enthusiastic and appreciated our efforts to keep people safe during the baton’s route through the country.

“This was a once in the lifetime opportunity to be part of the relay and this will be a memory that lives with me forever.”