Queen honours long-serving Brighton and Hove policewoman

A brave and long-serving police officer from Brighton and Hove has been honoured by the Queen.

PC Christina Wilson-Law, 48, has been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (QPM) in the New Year’s Honours List.

PC Wilson-Law joined Sussex Police in 1980 at the age of 18.

She has completed 30 years of distinguished frontline response work in Brighton and Hove.

Sussex Police said that it was unusual for an officer to have served in response policing for 30 years.

The average length of service of her fellow response officers is about three years.

And the Queen’s Police Medal is not the first award that PC Wilson-Law has received for her service to the public.

In 1997 she received a Sussex Police award for her part in the arrest of a man during a dangerous and difficult firearms incident.

PC Wilson-Law said that she was delighted and surprised to have received the honour.

PC Chrissy Wilson-Law: honoured and delighted

She said: “I am extremely grateful and touched to know someone has put pen to paper to nominate me for this honour.

“I don’t consider what I do to be special.

“It is just part of a job I enjoy doing.

“My family, friends and I are all very excited.

“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since I was a young child.

“I have a strong loyalty to the force and am proud to play my part in helping Sussex Police serve the local community.

“There have been many changes since I joined but I still have the same passion and enthusiasm for serving on the front line as a response officer.

“Every day is different and I enjoy the challenges the job brings.

“Working alongside such wonderful and supportive colleagues helps keep me working in what can be a difficult and demanding role.

“I consider them to be my family.

“I hope to continue to use my experience and support my colleagues for some time to come.”

Assistant Chief Constable Robin Merrett said: “PC Wilson-Law is a highly experienced and respected officer and has proven to be an inspiration to her colleagues.

“She has been a pioneer in demonstrating that female officers can have a long and distinguished career on the front line.

“She has provided young officers with encouragement and has personally demonstrated the opportunities available within the police service.

“This honour is in recognition of an exemplary officer who has devoted her life to serving the public and acknowledges her continuous dedication, bravery and hard work over the past 30 years.

“I and all my colleagues at Sussex Police are absolutely delighted for her.”

Brighton and Hove Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett said: “This is a remarkable achievement for PC Chrissy Wilson-Law who has spent her entire 30-year career on the front line at Brighton and Hove and I know she has been a mentor to many.

“She has often turned down opportunities to serve in different parts of the division as she felt that she would not feel right not being on the response team.

“This is a most fitting recognition of her selfless public service and fantastic spirit.

“She really is an influence to us all.”

PC Wilson-Law will be visiting Buckingham Palace in the coming months to receive her medal.