A former Assistant Chief Constable and Chief Human Resources Officer have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025 for their significant contribution to policing.
Recently retired Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie was awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM). Chief Officer of Human Resources Nicky Page received an MBE.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “I want to warmly congratulate Gary and Nicky on this well deserved recognition of their outstanding careers in public service, leadership and collaboration across sectors.
“Police officers, staff and volunteers work hard to deliver for our communities and these awards are an opportunity to thank them and celebrate their huge contributions to society.”
Gary Ritchie joined Strathclyde Police in 1991 and retired in April 2025 after 33 years’ police service.
He was appointed as an Assistant Chief Constable in 2019. Gary was instrumental in the roll-out of naloxone to all frontline police officers in 2020, making Police Scotland the first force globally to implement a nationwide roll out of the medication used to reverse the effect of opioids.
He was the Gold commander for the COP26 climate summit held in Glasgow in 2021. Gary was also the Gold Commander during COVID-19, actively engaging with partners across health, social care and government. He played a key role in facilitating information sharing and supporting the Independent Advisory Group to ensure the police response remained aligned with human rights requirements.
Gary had the responsibility to develop innovative approaches, based around the principles of embedding a public health approach to policing and leading public sector wide collaboration, to improve safety and wellbeing and achieve better outcomes for communities. In 2021, he significantly contributed to the creation, development and delivery of Police Scotland’s International Academy.
Gary Ritchie said: “I am both delighted and humbled that I have been awarded the King’s Police Medal.
“Any personal achievements which have led to me receiving this award have only been made possible by the many people inside and outside the service who have contributed to the successful initiatives, projects and operations that we have undertaken over the years.
“The award is much more a recognition of their contributions and, at times, wise counsel and advice. I will be forever grateful and proud of what we achieved together.”
Nicky Page joined Strathclyde Police in 2010 and has provided strategic human resources leadership for over 22,000 people in Police Scotland.
This included playing a key role during the transition period that brought together eight legacy forces to form Police Scotland. She delivered a single national HR function achieving public sector savings of around £200 million annually since 2013.
She led the Staff Pay, Reward and Modernisation Project, aligning pay and conditions across the organisation. This contributed to a reduction in the gender pay gap. Since 2017, Nicky has also volunteered as a Community First Responder with the Scottish Ambulance Service, contributing over 1000 hours of service while balancing the demands of her role and family life.
Nicky Page said: “I am both grateful and surprised to receive this honour. I’m deeply appreciative of the support I have received from my colleagues in policing, the Ambulance Service and fellow responders within the Bathgate Group.
“This honour reflects the shared commitment and teamwork that have made my contribution possible.”
