Five New Year Honours have come to policing in Northern Ireland.
Two MBEs (Member of the British Empire) and three King’s Police Medals (KPM) have been awarded.
The MBEs go to Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony McNally and Inspector Gary Craig.
The KPMs are awarded to Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones, Chief Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay and Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson.
MBE - Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony McNally
Detective Chief Superintendent Anthony McNally has 22 years’ service, most recently as the head of Public Protection Branch.
Anthony is the lead on a number of complex investigations and has been instrumental in the launch of the Police Service’s Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy.
Anthony is also the President of the Superintendents Association.
MBE - Inspector Gary Craig
Inspector Gary Craig has 20 years’ policing service and was responsible for setting up Thin Blue Line UK, which is a police charity focusing on police officers’ mental health and wellbeing. Gary led on the creation of a mental health guide, which has been provided to 9,000 officers throughout the UK.
KPM - Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones
Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones has over 32 years’ experience in policing and is currently responsible for our Operational Support Department.
In her role with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Melanie has been Gold Commander for a number of high profile events, including the visit of US President Joe Biden and the Good Friday Agreement anniversary events.
KPM – Chief Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay
With over 34 years’ service to policing in Northern Ireland, Chief Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay is currently District Commander for Belfast.
Jeremy has worked in a variety of roles, including commander of our Armed Response Unit and Head of Combined Operational Training, where he was responsible for ensuring officers are trained to the highest standard.
KPM – Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson
Currently the Deputy Head of Operational Support Department, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson has 30 years’ experience and is responsible for various policing teams, including road policing, tactical support group and emergency planning.
Sam works closely with partner agencies and was the lead on the first Northern Ireland Road Policing Strategy in response to an increase in fatal road traffic collisions.
Sam is also the Deputy Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher commented:
“I am absolutely delighted that five members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been awarded such prestigious honours and I want to congratulate each recipient.
“Our officers and staff work tirelessly keep the people of Northern Ireland safe every single day. Each of these officers have made such an important contribution to policing in Northern Ireland and beyond, and I am exceptionally proud of them.
“I would also like to congratulate Keith Surtees who has been awarded an MBE. Keith has a distinguished 36 year career in policing and I worked closely with him as part of Operation Kenova, where he was a senior investigating officer. He built relationships and trust with families in a way that other inquiries had not been able to. The impact that Keith’s efforts has had on Troubles related legacy investigations cannot be overstated.”