More QPMs given to junior ranks
The number of rank and file officers to receive the prestigious Queens Police Medal (QPM) has multiplied as forces make the award more representative.
The number of rank and file officers to receive the prestigious Queens Police Medal (QPM) has multiplied as forces make the award more representative.
The number of English and Welsh officers who will be presented the QPM as part of Her Majesty the Queens 2017 New Year Honours has tripled as a result of a call by the Prime Minister to reward more frontline staff.
In one of her final actions as Home Secretary, Theresa May recommended that more officers below senior ranks should receive the QPM, to recognise the vital role they play in protecting the public and address an imbalance over to whom the Medal is awarded.
The Home Office said police leaders have responded by putting forward a number of officers from junior ranks from across England and Wales who have shown outstanding courage and distinguished service in the line of duty.
The number of officers below superintendent level has trebled to nine compared to the 2016 Birthday Honours and now makes up over half the awards.
The number of chief police officers receiving the Medal has reduced to less than a quarter when they normally make up around half of the total.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: These deserving recipients of Queens Police Medals have gone above and beyond the call of their duties and it is absolutely right that we recognise all of those who serve our communities and keep us safe.
I am especially pleased by the response from policing leaders, who have made sure that a shift in nominations has led to a much more representative group of officers receiving the Medal. I look forward to seeing many more brave and talented individuals at every rank of our police forces being honoured in this way in the future.
Greater Manchester Police Federation chair Inspector Ian Hanson is one of those acknowledged with the Medal, perhaps most notably for his support and leadership to the force and families after its darkest day the murders of colleagues PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone in 2012.
The honour also recognises Insp Hansons additional charity work, as Chairman of the Police Treatment Centres at Harrogate and Auchterarder, which provide treatment to sick and injured colleagues, and also his work as Chairman of The St Georges Police Children Trust, which supports children of police officers who have either passed away or suffered serious life changing conditions.
Ian said: As a proud Greater Manchester Police officer, its a great honour to be awarded a Queens Police Medal in the New Years Honours. Whilst it is incredibly humbling to receive this honour, I think it is important that we consider this to be recognition for all the hard work that federation colleagues do for others across the whole of GMP.
While we have had some incredibly difficult and distressing periods as a force during my time as Chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, one thing that has never wavered is the unstinting hard work of my GMP colleagues and those fantastic local federation reps that give up their time to support their colleagues.
Recipients include:
England and Wales
David Allard, formerly Assistant Chief Constable, Ministry of Defence Police
Gordon Briggs, formerly Chief Superintendent, Metropolitan Police Service
Leslie Eke, Constable, Thames Valley Police
Carol Ellwood, Detective Inspector, Humberside Police
Martin Fry, Chief Superintendent, British Transport Police
Ian Hanson, Inspector, Greater Manchester Police
David Jones, Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police
Simon Letchford, formerly Commander, Metropolitan Police Service
Shirley Lindsay, Constable, Avon and Somerset Police
Dr Victor Olisa, Chief Superintendent, Metropolitan Police Service
Jacqueline Oliver, Formerly Constable, Metropolitan Police Service
Louise Pye, Constable, Sussex Police
Jagdev Singh Atwal, Chief Superintendent, Derbyshire Constabulary
Timothy Slade, Sergeant,