Knighthood for ACPO president Ken Jones

Members of the police service have received awards in the New Year’s Honours List for 2009, including a knighthood for the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Sir Ken Jones.

Sir Ken was knighted for services to the police, having received the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) in 2001 when he was assistant chief constable for Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

On receiving the honour, he acknowledged the support of his family saying he was “delighted” to receive the award and was proud to have served alongside fellow staff and officers and that “the award is theirs too”.

Other awards include Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) Anne Owers being made a Dame for services to the criminal justice system.

Dame Anne has held the post of chief inspector of HMIP since August 2001 and has spoken out previously against the overcrowding of prisons, the use of controversial restraint techniques in children`s detention centres, and government plans for large-scale ‘titan’ prisons.

Also of note is Grampian Chief Constable Colin McKerracher, QPM, who has been appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to policing.

Mr McKerracher has over 36 years of police experience, having joined the City of Glasgow Police in 1972, and risen through the ranks of Strathclyde Police to deputy chief constable in 2001, prior to his appointment as chief constable for Grampian Police in 2004.

He thanked his family for their support and said: “I am also in the debt of the officers and staff of Grampian Police, whose dedication, integrity and high standards of service have allowed me to spend time encouraging the corporate development of the Scottish Police Service, the modernisation of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and contributing to various North East of Scotland bodies, the SPSA and of course, Grampian Police.

“Throughout my 36 years in policing I have been passionate about the Scottish Police Service, its professionalism, its innovation, its achievements and its position as a leader in the development of policing globally. We have an excellent police service in Scotland and I am delighted and privileged to serve with the fine men and women who work so hard with our partners to make our communities safer places to live.”

Timothy Godwin – acting deputy commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) – received a QPM. He joined Sussex Police in 1981 and achieved the rank of superintendent by 1992, before being appointed force crime manager in 1996 with responsibility for intelligence, scientific support and crime and drugs operations. He was appointed as commander (crime) in the MPS in 1999, was promoted to deputy assistant commissioner in 2001 and then assistant commissioner territorial policing in January 2003.

Commander Peter Loughborough of the MPS also received a QPM. Mr Loughborough has served in the MPS and Thames Valley Police for a total of 27 years. He has been an ACPO officer for eight years, most recently having responsibility for the security of members of Parliament, diplomats, ministers and members of the Royal Family.

For his service as chief constable of Lincolnshire Police, Tony Lake was also appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE).

In 2004, Mr Lake was awarded a QPM and has served as chief constable of Lincolnshire for five years. Mr Lake retired in June following 36 years in the service. He has helped pioneer new forensic technology as portfolio holder for forensics in ACPO.

He said: “I’m delighted and honoured, but not just for myself because you never do these things alone.

“I’m also delighted for Lincolnshire Police because we had a pretty tough time financially but the force did really well and every year returned a better and better service.”

Also appointed OBE was Alan Fry, chief executive of South Wales Police Authority. Mr Fry has been involved with South Wales Police for 28 years and has been clerk and chief executive