Yahoo News Cleveland Police negotiator and chief constable both recognised in King's Birthday Honours
A Cleveland Police negotiator and the force's chief constable have both been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours.
Chief Inspector Fraser Wilson and Chief Constable Mark Webster have both been awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM). The King’s Police Medal is awarded for a specially distinguished record in police specific services of conspicuous merit, along with special services to Royalty, Heads of States and valuable political and secret services.
Chief Inspector Wilson has been awarded a KPM for his work as a negotiator. Chief Constable Webster has been recognised for the impact he has made on Cleveland Police and to policing more broadly since the 1990s.
Chief Insp Wilson joined policing in 1998 and has spent much of his career in response policing. He became a Hostage Negotiator in 2012, which is a voluntary role, and has engaged with people hundreds of times and in the process is likely to have saved many lives. He became the Deputy Force Lead for Negotiations for Northumbria Police whilst also carrying out his on call and day job responsibilities.
In January 2020 he was selected to join the National Counter Terrorism (CT) Training Team to travel to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation in Indonesia to assist in the delivery of a CT Negotiator Course, which was delivered through a translator, to provide negotiator skills to the Indonesian Police and Military. In 2021 he was selected to represent the UK at the coveted FBI Hostage Negotiator Course and in doing so, as an experienced Negotiator, acted as a mentor to the FBI Special Agents taking part, whilst also bringing back valuable knowledge and sharing the methods used in the USA across the UK.
Chief Insp Wilson is currently the Negotiator Force Lead for Cleveland Police and is still very active on the on call rota and responsible for the training and CPD for negotiators across the region and other blue light services including the fire service, Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the Coastguard Rescue Service. In 2022, he received a National Police Bravery Award after helping a vulnerable man who had climbed on top of James Cook University Hospital's roof
Commenting on his award Chief Inspector Wilson said: “I am both humbled and honoured to receive a King’s Police Medal in recognition of my commitment to this life-saving work. Being a negotiator is a part of policing that isn’t particularly well known or understood but makes a huge difference to people who find themselves in crisis.
“This recognition isn’t just for me; it is for the broader network of police hostage and crisis negotiators past and present across the globe. The network commits to this vital area of policing, making a difference by saving lives due to the specialist training, shared knowledge and continual learning. I feel immensely proud to receive this award as an officer in Cleveland Police and as part of the wider negotiator family.”
Cleveland Police’s Chief Constable Mark Webster has been awarded a KPM in recognition of the impact he has made on Cleveland Police and to policing more broadly since he joined the service in the 1990s. Mr Webster’s award acknowledges the contribution he made, and continues to make, to the force’s improvement journey which resulted in the force being removed from national oversight measures in September 2023.
Speaking at the time, Mr Webster said: "“Since joining Cleveland Police I have been committed to steering a clear pathway out of HMICFRS oversight. We will continue to push forward and embed sustainable improvement to deliver the best possible service to the public of Teesside.”
Deputy Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, Victoria Fuller said: “I am pleased to see policing continued to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours; acknowledging the contribution officers and staff make to our communities. The commitment and dedication of police officers and staff deserves our praise and decorated colleagues should be proud to be recognised in this way. I look forward to seeing further recognition for policing, throughout the ranks, and in particular for Cleveland Police officers and staff in the future.”
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