THE FAMILY of a much-loved and award-winning police officer who died in an accident on the A12 near Ipswich have unveiled a memorial to him.

THE FAMILY of a much-loved and award-winning police officer who died in an accident on the A12 near Ipswich have unveiled a memorial to him.

Sgt Bob Walsham, who lived in Hadleigh and was a well-known officer in Colchester and Clacton, was killed when his Kawasaki motorbike was in collision with a car at East Bergholt in January.

On Saturday, Sgt Walsham's two sons, Fraser and Ben, and his fiancée Emma were joined by about 100 friends and family as they planted a memorial tree at Clacton police station.

There were emotional scenes as the flowering cherry tree was planted alongside a plaque to the 48-year-old which remembers Sgt Walsham as a “coppers' copper”.

A bench in memory of the keen biker, who was a member of the Black Shuck Bike Club, has also been placed alongside the tree and plaque in the grounds of the police station.

Service desk assistant Del Marshall helped arrange the memorial to his good friend and fundraising partner.

He said: “He was a lovely bloke, I knew him extremely well as we did a lot of fundraising through the years.

“He did so much for the youngsters, arranging Christmas parties for them - he was a very kind-hearted person.”

Paying tribute to his father earlier this year, Sgt Walsham' son Frazer, of Colchester, said: “My dad was a caring, selfless person who would concentrate and deal with everyone else's problems before his own.

“He carried out a lot of charity work for many different organisations, including participating in bungee-jumping events and motorcycle rallies.”

Sgt Walsham had been a police officer for 26 years and transferred to Essex in 1989 after spending seven years serving in London.

During his 19 years with Essex he was awarded three chief constable's commendations and the Millard Trophy for work in the community of Clacton.

At Sgt Walsham's funeral in February, dozens of bikers travelled from Ipswich and a police guard of honour greeted the funeral procession as it arrived at Colchester Crematorium.

Sgt Walsham had previously been married to Pat for 15 years.