Volunteer with 50 years’ service and more than 20 officers and staff honoured at awards ceremony

More than 20 police officers and staff have been celebrated in a long-service awards ceremony.

Chief Constable Chris Noble and His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant Ian Dudson presented awards to 17 officers to commemorate their 20 years of service, with a further five members of staff also receiving their award at a ceremony in the Staffordshire County Council building.

A special award was also presented to a volunteer who completed half a century of service since starting with us back in 1972.

Glenys Robinson MBE, from Leek, has volunteered for five decades. She began her career as a Special Constable in the north of the county and reached the rank of Divisional Officer. In 2000, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to the local community and continued to work alongside local policing teams through the Leek Crime Prevention Panel - despite retiring as a special.

In 2017, she became an adult leader with the Staffordshire Police Cadet programme and has been the mainstay of the unit ever since – even through many COVID lockdowns.

“It’s so crazy that it’s been 50 years since I started,” she said.

“It feels like it was yesterday when I was sworn into position at Leek Magistrates Court! I’ve been fortunate enough to experience a variety of volunteer roles throughout the decades and work with so many caring and considerate people who all want to serve our communities and make Staffordshire as good as it can possibly be.

“There’s been challenges along the way. Particularly with leading the cadet programme during COVID and having to adapt myself to talk through a computer screen!

“That just showed me how important it is as people and as a police force to stay united and together during the hard times.”

Speaking on receiving her award, Glenys said: “It’s a massive honour to be recognised at a ceremony like this. I’m so grateful for everyone involved and I just want to reiterate how much I’ve enjoyed these last 50 years.

“I want it to continue for as long as possible.”

Two new faces on the beat in Stoke-on-Trent were also recognised at the ceremony – with Chief Inspector Scott McGrath and Inspector Mark Burslem both receiving medals for their 20 years’ service in the force.

Ch Insp McGrath and Insp Burslem both joined their local policing teams (LPT) this year and have been working hard to tackle community priorities and implement the force’s hyper-local policing model.

Ch Insp McGrath took command of the Stoke North LPT in October and has been using his experience in neighbourhood policing, intelligence, investigations and force command to develop the team’s relationship with the local community.

“It’s a very proud moment for me,” he said.

“I started with the force back in 2002 and have been lucky enough to work with so many dedicated and passionate colleagues who have really helped make a difference.

“The last 20 years have been everything that I hoped for since starting at the age of 22. I've been fortunate to work in a number of specialist roles that have provided me with the operational credibility to lead and improve the service we deliver to the people of Staffordshire.

“I hope it continues for many more years to come.”

Insp Burslem, who started with neighbouring LPT Stoke South back in September, spent his formative years at Longton and worked for 11 years as a Detective. From there, he moved to the Cannock LPT as a Sergeant before becoming a Staff Officer to the Chief Constable.

He said: “Policing has given me the opportunity to work across a wide range of complex and challenging areas alongside people who really care about making a difference.”

The deserving recipients were presented with their awards in a dedicated ceremony on Wednesday (23 November).