A Lothian and Borders Police Special Constable has received an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.
We mentioned this in our earlier article about others awarded recognition in the Honours List. Lily Laing, who is based at Craigmillar Police Station, has been a Special Constable with the Force since 1997. She has received her MBE for services to policing and the community.
In addition to her role with Lothian and Borders Police, Lily has worked as a Royal Park Constable since 1989, and is currently a Royal Park Ranger at Holyrood Park.
As a Special Constable, Lily has dedicated herself to working within the community, delivering talks to schoolchildren with the aid of a ventriloquist’s dummy called Sergeant Angus, and actively engaging with local people to promote good citizenship and community safety.
She maintains this role outside of work, where she involves herself in first aid training, working with adults with learning difficulties, and teaching sign language to the deaf, among other activities
Her work in the community achieved international acclaim last year, when the International Association of Women in Policing named her as Officer of the Year in the category of Community Service.
Lily welcomed her latest honour, but insisted that she couldn’t have achieved it without the assistance of her colleagues.
She said: ‘I’m just one person, and what I do to make a difference in the local community is part of a team effort, where everyone provides me with the support I need to carry out my role.
‘It is of course nice to be honoured in this way, but I feel that my colleagues have had a massive part to play in helping me get such recognition.
‘I am grateful for the support I’ve had down the years, both from colleagues and from the local community, including the partners who we work so closely with, and I look forward to working with them all well into the future.’
Chief Superintendent Gill Imery, Divisional Commander for the City of Edinburgh, praised Lily’s achievement.
She said: ‘We are delighted that Lily has been awarded an MBE, which serves as a testament to her tireless work in the community over the years.
‘The dedication she has shown is fully deserving of such recognition, and she continues to serve as a fantastic example to anyone who is thinking of volunteering as a Special Constable.’
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