Police mark one year since death of PC Rosie Prior

On January 11, 2025, PC Rosie Prior was off duty when she stopped to help another driver Ryan Welford   on the A19 at Bagby near Thirsk.

Both drivers were then killed as they stood on the verge when they were hit by a lorry. She had been in the police force for less than three years.

Exactly a year after her death, deputy chief constable Scott Bisset placed flowers in the force memorial garden during a short service.

He said: “Rosie was the very best of policing, putting the safety of others before her own in order to help people.”

The garden includes a memorial plaque to PC Prior and the conference facility at the force’s headquarters in Northallerton has been dedicated to her memory.

Following her death, the force’s chief constable Tim Forber said: “She was not on-duty on a shift, she was off-duty and she came across a road traffic collision on the A19, and she stopped to help.

“She got out, and like many police officers up and down the country, put herself on-duty.

“And it was whilst dealing with that incident that she was tragically killed. Rosie epitomises the very best of British policing.”

PC Prior, who was 45 when she died, joined North Yorkshire Police as a student officer in May 2022 before being posted to Athena House in York. After a year she moved across to Acomb where she became an integral part of the Band 1 Response team.

A message on the force’s Facebook page today says: “Our thoughts remain with Rosie’s family, friends and colleagues. We will always remember her.”