Officers recognised in King's Birthday Honours List

THREE Thames Valley Police officers have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Police sergeant Laurence East has received a British Empire Medal as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List for his "exceptional courage and conspicuous devotion to duty" to continue serving the force despite a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

And former police sergeant Nick Reuter, and former detective superintendent Stan Gilmour have been awarded the King’s Police Medal as part of the Honour’s List 2024 for their services to policing.

Thames Valley Police chief constable Jason Hogg has praised and congratulated the trio for the honour, stating he is ‘delighted’ to see the recognition.

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(Image: TVP)

Police sergeant East was recognised for his ‘exceptional courage and conspicuous devotion to duty to continue serving’ despite a diagnosis of terminal cancer.

He first got into policing in 2002 and during his time, has enjoyed ‘working all over the force, meeting lots of different people’.

In September 2020, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent chemotherapy. After his diagnosis, he decided to start fundraising.

He set up the Shield Run Challenge, running a mile a day for a month in full police protective equipment weighing 17kg, and raised £16,000 for Pancreatic Cancer.

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Police sergeant East also undertook the Three Peaks Challenge, the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, and police widow Lissie Harper in walking 20 miles carrying the weight of her late husband and our colleague, PC Andrew Harper.

He said: “I have been very lucky to meet lots of people and work all over the force. I am very privileged. I have laughed every day on the job.”

Mr Reuter, who joined Thames Valley Police back in 1993, was the lead planner for both Operation Forth Bridge, the funeral arrangements for HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and Operation London Bridge, the funeral arrangements for Her Majesty the Queen.

Nick Reuter (Image: TVP)

He was in the force for 19 years.

“It is a great honour and a privilege to receive this award,” he said.

“This award is a reflection of not just my work, but the efforts of both the operational commanders I was working for and the team who supported me throughout these events, and I would like to give my thanks to them all.”

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Mr Gilmour joined in 1993 and established the Violence Reduction Unit to cover the Thames Valley region and became the national led for data collaboration and analytics, overseeing the £6m Home Office investment in Thames Valley for serious violence prevention.

Stan Gilmour (Image: TVP)

He said: “I am really, really proud to receive the medal. It is humbling that my work over three decades within Thames Valley Police has been recognised.

“It was a privilege to spend my career at such a well-respected and forward-thinking force.”