Police Scotland officers and staff recognised in New Year Honours list

Three serving and former Police Scotland officers have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours for their significant contribution to policing.

Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain (previously Temporary Assistant Chief Constable), Chief Superintendent Carol McGuire (retired) and Constable Stephanie Rose all receive the King’s Police Medal (KPM).

A further three serving and retired Police Scotland officers and staff members have also been recognised.

DC Jodie McFarlane receives the British Empire Medal for services to children and families in Ayrshire for her work with the charity Night Before Christmas Campaign, while retired Child Protection Manager, James Duffy, is named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to children.

Also honoured with the award of an MBE is Investigation and Information Manager, Stuart Cossar, for services to the investigation and to the bereaved families of the Lockerbie Air Disaster.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “These awards are testament to the dedication to public service and professionalism our officers show right across the country, day in, day out.

“I offer my warmest congratulations to Carol, Faroque and Stephanie for this deserved recognition of their significant contribution to policing.

“I would also like to recognise the honours awarded to Jodie, James and Stuart for their commitment and compassion serving policing and our communities in Scotland and beyond.”

 

Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain joined Strathclyde Police in 1999. 

He was promoted to Chief Superintendent in 2019 and appointed as Divisional Commander for Ayrshire in 2020 where he championed partnership working and engagement.

As a Strategic Firearms Commander, Faroque has overseen and coordinated firearms assets for major events including COP26 and the Queen’s death. 

After a secondment to the National Crime Agency, he was appointed as Divisional Commander for Ayrshire in 2020, and was recently temporary Assistant Chief Constable for Partnership, Preventions and Community Wellbeing.

Chief Superintendent Hussain said: “I am deeply honoured by this recognition from His Majesty the King.

“I am profoundly grateful to have worked with countless selfless colleagues and partners from across Scotland, and beyond, who work tirelessly to keep our fellow citizens safe.

“Most of all, I thank my wife and our family for their unwavering support.”

Chief Superintendent Carol McGuire joined Strathclyde Police in 1995, serving in roles across local policing, emergency planning and community safety where she wrote the first Gender Equality Scheme for Strathclyde Police.

Carol later undertook a secondment to the Football Coordination Unit Scotland where she developed the first National Strategy for the Policing of Football in Scotland.

In 2017, Carol joined the Operational Support Division (Specialist Services) where she was responsible for specialist resources including Public Order and oversaw the introduction of drones to enhance air support capability.

During her time at OSD, Carole also drove the work to identify and procure new, lighter and more flexible body armour for officers. Latterly, Carol served as Divisional Commander for Dumfries and Galloway, where she is originally from, and retired in October 2023.

Chief Superintendent McGuire said: “It is fair to say I am genuinely overwhelmed and more than a little surprised to be receiving such a prestigious accolade, however, I am extremely proud as well.

“I am also enormously grateful to those who have guided and mentored me throughout my career in policing, and the many others whose support has been invaluable.

“It was a true privilege to have been a police officer, and to have led and been part of so many tremendous teams, and my thanks go to everyone who has been a part of my story.”

 

Constable Stephanie Rose joined Strathclyde Police in 1997 and has been a strong advocate for equality, diversion and inclusion throughout her service.

Her passion and commitment in this area is further demonstrated by Stephanie’s personal learning journey with British Sign Language (BSL). She is now fully conversant in BSL and regularly interprets for Police Scotland to deaf communities.

Stephanie developed the Keep Safe initiative in partnership with I Am Me Scotland which was piloted in Renfrewshire in 2014 before becoming a national programme in 2015. The initiative creates a network of local businesses to establish Keep Safe places for disabled, vulnerable and elderly people to go if they feel lost, confused, scared or intimidated or have been the victim of a crime.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie adopted a number of new initiatives to support and reassure disabled communities about the restrictions in place. She also developed guidance for police officers on interacting with people with autism or learning disabilities during the pandemic.

Constable Rose said: “I am hugely honoured to have been awarded the King’s Police Medal.

“I am very proud to be a police officer and have been extremely fortunate to work with some brilliant staff, officers and partners who share the vision of a fair, inclusive and accessible police service. Most importantly I have had the privilege of working with communities who have led so much positive change for policing.

“I have a particular passion for tackling hate crime and improving services for disabled people and British Sign Language communities and I hope this recognition enables us to continue making progress, as there is still more work to be done.”