GMP officers and staff recognised at Royal Garden Party

Date published: 05 June 2019

Five GMP officers and staff have been formally recognised through an invitation to one of Her Majesty the Queen’s Royal Garden Parties.

Chief Superintendent Neil Evans, Chief Inspector Bash Anwar, Inspector Lee Broadstock, Detective Sergeant Debbie Hurst and Collision Manager Carmella Yaffa have been acknowledged for the positive contributions they have made both within GMP and in the wider communities.

Chief Superintendent Neil Evans was nominated to attend the Royal Garden Party through his work with the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA). He works as a territorial Chief Superintendent in GMP, responsible for the Tameside, Oldham and Rochdale districts and is also a regional secretary of the PSA, member of the National Executive Committee and the Chair of GMP’s local branch.

Chief Superintendent and President of Police Superintendents’ Association Paul Griffiths said: “Neil plays a strong and influential role as part of our National Executive Committee.

“He has been a driving force for changes and a wise counsel for the national team. We are pleased to nominate him to attend the Royal Garden Party as a small gesture of gratitude for his huge contribution.”

Carmella Yaffa is GMP’s Collision Manager and has worked for GMP for almost 30 years. During her career, she has helped to create a bespoke database enabling the force to record collisions electronically – streamlining systems and reducing demand on frontline police officers significantly. This ensured each collision is managed in a consistent, efficient way and thus enabling her team to process over 3,000 collisions per month.

Despite suffering ill health, Carmella has bounced back to work through sheer passion and determination. She now helps others get back into and remain in work, ensuring people feel valued and appreciated.  She is described as someone who “fixes people when they are broken” and praises her “inspirational team” for their fantastic work.

Detective Sergeant Debbie Hurst has been integral in leading modern slavery investigations and initiatives in GMP. She helped to create the Victim Liaison Officer (VLO) scheme, recognising that officers dealing with victims of modern slavery would benefit from additional training. She researched national best practice and assisted in developing a Modern Slavery Tactical Advisors training course.

Due to the success of the scheme, every identified victim of modern slavery is now allocated a VLO to ensure they are supported, safeguarded and all possible evidence has been obtained. Debbie is also passionate about charity, having completed a series of events including fell races and half marathons to raise money for Retrak charity. She has also travelled to Ethiopia twice to deliver training to Ethiopian officials, faith leaders and charities around the criminal exploitation of children and adults.

Chief Inspector Bash Anwar supports and encourages diversity across GMP through his work as the Chair of GMP’s Muslim Police Association (MPA). He has helped GMP become a leading force in terms of improving Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation and over the last two years, his work has contributed to a 40 per cent increase in the number of BAME officers in GMP. He has also worked hard to ensure Muslims have access to prayer mats and that copies of the Quran are available in custody suites. He is always on hand to offer expert advice across a range of diversity issues, including being actively involved in working groups around the wearing of the Hijab as part of uniform.

Inspector Lee Broadstock works on the Tameside district and has made significant contributions towards LGBT+ inclusion within GMP.

He is the co-chair of GMP’s Pride Network and has been instrumental in ensuring more inclusive language is used in policing and the wider community. He has formed a regional Police with Pride North West network – a best-practice sharing network using a model which has now been adopted across the country as the National LGBT+ Police Network.

Lee also arranges GMP’s presence at Manchester’s Pride Parade, and can be credited for helping to bring the ‘World’s First Rainbow Police Car’ to life, quickly placing GMP as a leading force for LGBT+ inclusion. Several rainbow police vehicles can now been seen across the world.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “I am immeasurably proud of what each of these members of the force has achieved.

“This is the first time GMP were invited to nominate officers and staff to attend a Royal Garden Party and this formal recognition is truly deserved.”

“The commitment and determination they show on a daily basis is outstanding, and I am honoured to have such passionate and dedicated individuals working as part of our organisation.

“They are a credit to Greater Manchester Police and the communities we serve each day.”