May urged to remove medal restrictions

A campaign has been launched in a bid to remove restrictions placed on police community support officers (PCSO) to be eligible to receive the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal next year.

Tim Hollis, chief constable of Humberside Police, has written to the Home Secretary urging her to reconsider the current restrictions, which mean that only those officers with five or more years’ service could potentially receive the award.

Mr Hollis said: “I know that you [Theresa May] make regular visits to forces and you and your staff cannot have failed to notice that the majority of officers and PCSOs who deliver such well-valued frontline policing to our communities through neighbourhood policing and incident response are young in service.

“The five-year distinction feels very arbitrary and will, I do not doubt, cause a good deal of dissatisfaction. That is unnecessary. Given that we are celebrating what will be a happy and, for all of us, a unique event, namely the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s ascension, the distinction is frankly unworthy.”

Mr Hollis has asked Mrs May to “simply and respectfully” consider using her influence to have the decision changed and the medal awarded to all police officers and PCSOs serving on the day of the Diamond Jubilee.

However, the Home Office said the current five year period is “appropriate”.

A spokesperson said: “There is a strong precedent for eligibility being set at five years, which was the criteria for the Golden Jubilee medal in 2002. It is considered the appropriate period of service warranting recognition. The Government values very highly the level of service given by all members of the emergency services.”

Unveiling the design of the medal, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said it hopes it would serve as a special recognition to personnel in the emergency services.