Leicestershire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable has been honoured by royalty after being awarded with a top award from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
DCC Rob Nixon, was given the Queen’s Police Medal last Wednesday (December 8), by HRH Prince Charles, who took the time to congratulate him and discuss the impact that Covid-19 has had on Leicestershire.
Following the ceremony, which took place at Windsor Castle, DCC Nixon described his “immense pride” at receiving the award and his experience of meeting the heir to the throne.
“My first emotion was ‘is this real?’ because as you can imagine, it’s a great accolade for the force and also a personal privilege for me,” he revealed.
“It was a rather surreal day – the backdrop is fantastic, the history and the nostalgia associated with Windsor is just phenomenal.
“I had the opportunity to have three or four minutes talking with Prince Charles and he was very interested in Leicestershire, in particular how it is coping with Covid and the lockdown,” he added.
“He was well aware that Leicester went into lockdown very early on and that we were in it for a prolonged period. So I was blessed to be able to share the Leicestershire journey and what we have gone through over the last two years and he genuinely seemed interested in the impact it was having.”
DCC Nixon has worked for Leicestershire Police for the length of his 28 year career and says that he is still immensely proud to work for the force.
He was given the QPM for his many years of distinguished service, which includes leading Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland’s response to COVID-19.
He served for many years as a detective, as the Commander for the City of Leicester and as the lead officer who drives much of the work of the force to embed policing in local communities and to embrace technology.
Upon receiving his award, the DCC paid tribute to his colleagues at Leicestershire Police who he said were “equally as deserving of the honour.”
“It was a huge honour to receive this award but I do also recognise the absolute privilege I have of working with so many talented people each and every day,” he said.
“I felt immensely proud and also a little bit humble, but it was great to receive it on behalf of myself and the force.”
By Louise Steel
