Queen's Birthday Honours 2021 - Fire, Police and Ambulance Service

The recipients of The Queen’s Fire, Police and Ambulance Service medals in Scotland are as follows:

Queen’s Police Medal

• Lindsay Tulloch, Chief Inspector, Police Scotland
• Samantha McCluskey, Detective Chief Superintendent, Police Scotland                      

Queen’s Fire Service Medal

• Martin Blunden, Chief Officer, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal

• Steph Jones, Acting Head of Clinical Services, Scottish Ambulance Service
• Araf Saddiq, Paramedic, Scottish Ambulance Service

QUEEN’S POLICE MEDAL

Lindsay Tulloch, Chief Inspector, Police Scotland

Since joining the Northern Constabulary in 1992, Chief Inspector Lindsay Tulloch has held a number of policing roles across the north of Scotland.

In 2015, two years after the formation of Police Scotland, Lindsay was promoted to Chief Inspector (CI) as Area Commander in Lerwick. Here he has maintained positive relationships with the island communities while faced with the challenge of introducing the new policing model.

CI Tulloch has shown outstanding leadership, organisational ability and partnership working to develop an extremely positive image of Police Scotland on the islands, using his unique position as the most senior police officer in this isolated part of the UK to bring about change that will have a positive lasting effect on the lives of the islanders.

Having built up a strong background in criminal investigation, CI Tulloch has been responsible for some of the most trying cases in the protection of vulnerable people in the Highlands. His passionate sense of duty when tackling the causes of serious crime against children and victims of domestic abuse has been key to developing policies that have changed lives.

More recently the archipelago became an early victim of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with a disproportionate number of infections at the beginning of the crisis. As an active lead in the local resilience partnership, the Shetland Islands Emergency Planning Group, CI Tulloch was central in the preparations for, and the actions taken, to mitigate the effects of the virus.  The work done by the group during CI Tulloch’s tenure led to early interventions which have helped ameliorate the impact of the pandemic across the area.

Samantha McCluskey, Detective Chief Superintendent, Police Scotland

Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) Samantha McCluskey has worked for the majority of her career in an investigative role carrying out detective aligned duties.

Between 2009 and 2013, while based at the Scottish Police College, she led the legacy force’s delivery of detective training nationally. During this time she delivered training to officers throughout Scotland, the UK and law enforcement agencies around the world.

In 2014, Samantha was promoted to Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) and appointed Head of Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit and Task Force.  In this role she directed the development and implementation of national domestic abuse policy, as well as pioneering a ‘victim centred– perpetrator focused’ approach to domestic abuse cases.  

Her devotion, drive and determination to support the victims of crime were key to the introduction of the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland in 2015. Often referred to as ‘Clare’s Law’, the scheme allows people to be told if their partner has been violent in the past.  In its first year over 1000 applications for information were made to the scheme in Scotland. In addition, to improve the reporting processes for stalking victims, DCS McCluskey’s work resulted in Police Scotland becoming the first force in the United Kingdom to provide an online reporting mechanism for stalking. 

Recognising the effect on victims of ‘revenge pornography’, DCS McCluskey played a significant role in the development of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 and helped ensure the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 effectively addressed the devastating impact of controlling behaviours on victims and children. 

In addition to her focus on supporting the victims of crime, between March 2017 and February 2020, DCS McCluskey was Head of Professional Standards Department Investigations whereby she took ownership and responsibility for the newly introduced National Gateway Unit and Specialist Investigations Team. Her skills and experience as a negotiator and negotiator coordinator have also seen her provide a battalion of Scots Guards with de-escalation training prior to their deployment to a war zone.

Recently promoted to lead and coordinate the Police Scotland response to Public Protection, DCS McCluskey has displayed an unyielding dedication to policing and made significant steps to improve the service to victims of domestic abuse, stalking and other serious crime. 

QUEEN’S FIRE SERVICE MEDAL

Martin Blunden, Chief Officer, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Martin Blunden joined Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as a part-time firefighter serving his local community of Beaconsfield in 1992.  On joining the service full-time in 1994, he achieved the ‘Silver Axe’ as the top recruit on his course and, in 2001, he was seconded to the South-East team preparing fire and rescue services for the terrorist threat in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. 

In 2004, Martin was seconded to the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) as the UK Government’s lead for establishing a standard approach to High Volume Pumping (HVP) across fire and rescue Services. Responsible for coordinating the national HVP response to the Carlisle Floods and the Buncefield Oil Terminal fire in 2005,  Martin was recognised for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Improving the Service Delivery of ODPM’ in 2005 and 2006. He and his team were also awarded the International Higgins & Langley Award for his Contribution to Water Rescue in the UK. 

In 2006, Martin transferred to Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.  Here he continued to lead the HVP capability as the National Lead for the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), as well as being the Deputy National Lead for Urban Search and Rescue (USAR).  During this time he also worked to develop the national water rescue standard now used by all UK fire and rescue services.

In 2013, he was seconded to Surrey Constabulary as Fire Lead on the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) programme and authored the ‘Joint Doctrine: The Interoperability Framework.’  Transferring to South Yorkshire, in 2015, he served first as an Assistant Chief Officer and then Deputy Chief Fire Officer.

Martin was appointed as the Chief Officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in 2019. Since joining the SFRS, Martin has established himself as an exemplary Chief Officer, providing strategic leadership for over 8000 members of the service.

During 2020, Martin led the service through the significant challenge of responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.   His leadership has focused on enabling the service to maintain a very high level of service, good governance and significant support to partners across the country, from community support work to assisting with the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital. 

QUEEN’S AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL

Steph Jones, Acting Head of Clinical Services, Scottish Ambulance Service

Steph Jones joined the Scottish Ambulance Service in 2007 and has been responsible for developing numerous innovative clinical and operational improvements in her 13 years with the service.

After being seconded to the clinical team in 2015, Steph helped develop the Clinical Response Model that ensures a safe and appropriate response to improve survival from life threatening presentations. This work, which required excellent analytical skills, effective communication and engagement with colleagues across the service, resulted in the model that remains in operation today.

Steph has progressed to become the substantive Clinical Hub Manager, an area where she continues to coach and develop clinicians. In response to the increasing demand and changes in the delivery of health care, Steph has adapted the clinical triage model in the ambulance control centre to improve patient flow and identify the most appropriate care pathway for the patient.

In addition to the management of this critical team, Steph works collaboratively with NHS 24 and Police Scotland on new initiatives around improved care for patients who present with mental health complaints, as well as those who are in acute crisis.

Steph remains a registered paramedic and continues to work tirelessly with colleagues to identify opportunities for further improvements to the service, and to ensure first class care for the people of Scotland.

Araf Saddiq, Paramedic, Scottish Ambulance Service

Araf Saddiq, known to colleagues as Harry, joined the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in 1997 as an ambulance care assistant, later becoming a technician before qualifying as a paramedic in 2003. 

Passionate about his role as a paramedic, Araf has worked tirelessly to provide the SAS with a greater understanding of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and their needs, and has undertaken noteworthy work with colleagues to deliver Essential Life Support training to groups including Syrian refugees in the west of Scotland.  Well known and respected in the Muslim community, Araf has been central to sharing advice about how to observe good practice and stay safe during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As a member of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s BAME Forum, Araf contributes valuably toward increasing the organisation’s understanding of race issues, helping to support colleagues and improve patient care. He has also had input into resources developed by the National Ambulance Black & Ethnic Forum that are shared across UK ambulance services to improve learning.