Award honours Northern Ireland fallen police and prison staff
Date published:
The first list of recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem in Northern Ireland has been announced today. Introduced in March last year, The Elizabeth Emblem is a new award to honour those who have died in the course of public service.
The Emblem is the civilian equivalent to the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.
In only the second ever list of Elizabeth Emblem recipients to be published, 30 former police officers and one former prison officer from Northern Ireland have been included.
Their next of kin are awarded the national form of recognition, which is conferred by His Majesty The King.
Justice Minister Naomi Long has described the award as important recognition of the ultimate sacrifice made by public servants who have died in the line of duty.
“I am pleased to see the first recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem in Northern Ireland named today, with the award helping to shine a spotlight on and commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of public service,” she said.
“It is a poignant reminder that in Northern Ireland we owe a great debt to those who have sadly lost their lives as a result of their public service.
“The Elizabeth Emblem is also an important recognition to families who lost their loved ones prematurely in the line of duty.
“While families will never be able to replace their loved ones, The Elizabeth Emblem seeks to pay tribute to the sacrifice and bravery of those who sought to keep us all safe, despite the many challenges they encountered during some of the most difficult years in Northern Ireland.”
Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service Beverley Wall said:
"The Elizabeth Emblem serves as a poignant and enduring symbol of our profound respect and gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice made by those killed for serving the community in Northern Ireland.
“While no award can ever truly heal the pain suffered by our bereaved families, we hope it offers a measure of comfort in knowing that their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered and honoured by the Northern Ireland Prison Service."
Notes to editors:
- The term ‘recipient’ applies to the next of kin of the public servants who have died in public service. They will receive the award on behalf of their deceased loved ones.
- A person will be eligible to be commemorated with The Elizabeth Emblem if they died in the course of undertaking eligible public service. Public service is defined as:
- employment in a role by, on behalf of, or formally funded by, an eligible body
- working - either in a paid or voluntary capacity - at the behest of an eligible body, including any person who has a formal contract or agreement to work for the eligible body or who has been ordered to provide a service
- working as part of emergency services personnel in a paid or voluntary capacity, dealing with emergencies either directly or indirectly as part of their conditions of service
The death of the person to be commemorated will need to have been directly attributable to the public service in question. This will include:
- where the death occurred as a direct result of action being taken in the course of public service
- where the person has been targeted as a result of their public service role or action, whether on or off duty
- where the person has died as a result of an operational call out, whether routine or emergency, if responding to the call resulted in their death
- where the person died as a result of acting to assist in an emergency situation for which they were trained, even if formally not on duty at the time
- where the person died as a result of illness or injury attributed directly to qualifying service
- For further information about The Elizabeth Emblem, including details on recipients and contact details of next of kin willing to speak to the media, please contact pressoffice@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.