FOUR people who play an instrumental role in serving the people of Avon and Somerset have been recognised in the King's New Year's Honours List.

Desmond Brown, who is the founder of Growing Futures UK and Vice Chair of the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers Panel, has been appointed MBE for services to the community of Avon and Somerset.

Senior Force Chaplain Andy Paget and volunteer Douglas Allen have also been appointed MBE and BEM respectively for services to policing and the community.

Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins, of the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), has also been recognised for his distinguished service to policing and will be the recipient of a King's Policing Medal (KPM).

Chief Constable Sarah Crew said all four recipients deserved the public recognition for years of outstanding public service.

Desmond Brown - MBE

Desmond Brown created Growing Futures in 2013 to empower young people and families impacted by school exclusions, youth violence and exploitation. More than 350 young people have since been provided with support and mentoring to help them build positive lives.

In 2017, he was appointed Chair of Bristol Mayoral’s Commission on Race Equality, holding public and private sectors to account on racial equality, disproportionality and institutional racism.

Desmond was pivotal in establishing the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers Panel (ISoPPP), and continues to serve as the vice chair. ISoPPP has scrutinised more than 1,000 policing interactions with the public and published two special reports leading to recommendations for individual and organisational learning in key areas of policing.

He became the chair of a subgroup set up in the wake of the Lammy Review to analyse how people from minority backgrounds are treated within the criminal justice system. His work with community groups and leaders culminated in the production of a 125-page report, which made 83 recommendations to address disproportionality. This has helped shape a number of policing processes, including our stop and search policy.

Desmond frequently provides crucial insight and counsel in challenging circumstances - particularly at times of tragedy and community concern - which enable senior officers to make informed operational decisions to help serve the public.

He said: “This is an honour for me and my family, but more than that, it recognises the importance of the voice of the community in delivering equity and justice for everyone. That work continues.”

Chief Constable Crew said: "Desmond remains a tireless campaigner for doing the right thing.

“He is someone who typifies the phrase ‘critical friend’ and we are hugely grateful for his open-mindedness, but also willingness to hold us to account to drive us to improve the service we provide all our communities."

Gary Haskins - KPM

Detective Superintendent Gary Haskins joined Avon and Somerset Police in 1996 and has worked in several different directorates, including in neighbourhood policing and CID.

He has been the head of MCIT, a tri-force collaboration between Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, since 2020. In this role he has led teams overseeing homicides and other serious and complex investigations across the region.

He has also been the Senior Investigating Officer for multiple high-profile cases during that time, most recently leading the investigation into the murders of 16-year-old Max Dixon and 15-year-old Mason Rist in south Bristol in January 2024. Five people were convicted of their murders in November.

While latterly his focus has been on bringing perpetrators to justice, he has also played an important role in preventing crime too. He has been recognised for his role in starting an initiative in Bristol with young people named The Calling Project, which in its four years has seen more than 80 per cent of participants not go on to reoffend.

He said: “It’s extremely humbling and a true honour to be awarded the King’s Police Medal.

“I grew up in Bristol, so it’s been a privilege to have spent my entire policing career in the Avon and Somerset area. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, so to be recognised in this way is completely unexpected.

“For me, this honour is a testament to the dedicated and caring people I’ve worked with and alongside over the past 28 years.”

Chief Constable Crew said: "Gary is a hugely empathetic, as well as professional, detective.

"He is tenacious in his approach to bring offenders to justice, but crucially never loses sight of the human impact. He treats every family and every victim as if they are one of his own, which is a quality that epitomises the caring nature policing must always have."

Andy Paget - MBE

Andy Paget has dedicated more than 25 years to the communities of Avon and Somerset and as Senior Force Chaplain he leads a team who provide unconditional support for all officers, staff and their families, irrespective of faith.

In partnership with Avon and Somerset’s contingency planning department and Local Resilience Forum, he co-ordinates 250 multi-faith victim-focused volunteers who can respond to a major incident or emergency. Andy has also been deployed to help communities in the aftermath of high-profile investigations too, to provide support where possible.

The Bristol Multi-Faith Forum recognised his work in 'promoting community cohesion and inclusiveness and making Bristol a better place to live', by handing him a Love Your Neighbour Award in 2018.

Andy also instigated a Police Memorial service to provide a local, personal focus for families.

Chief Constable Crew said: "He leads our Remembrance services every year and he epitomises the very essence of humble public service. We are delighted to see that recognised in the New Year’s Honours."

Douglas Allen - BEM

For more than 50 years, Doug Allen has volunteered to help his community having started out as a Special Constable in January 1960, joining at 18.

He remained part of the Special Constabulary, serving in Avon and Somerset and Wiltshire, up until 1994 and since 2004 has been an integral part of Community Speedwatch (CSW), particularly in South Somerset.

His dedication to improving road safety has been illustrated throughout that time, including being responsible for setting up a new Speedwatch scheme in Tatworth in 2007 and fulfilling the role of CSW network co-ordinator by chairing meetings and leading communication with volunteers.

It is estimated that more than 22,000 education letters have been generated in South Somerset largely by him and one other volunteer since early-2020 to inform road users they were caught driving too fast by CSW volunteers. This process is key in enforcing the road safety message.

He has also helped to recognise way to improve the scheme, and three years ago worked with the local neighbourhood teams to improve CSW in South Somerset, which led to a marked increase in CSW sessions.

And in 2022, he received the Avon and Somerset Police Volunteer of the Year award due to his outstanding commitment and service.

Chief Constable Crew said: "For decades Doug has selflessly devoted himself to volunteering to support policing efforts, most notably in terms of his unwavering commitment to improving road safety.

"Volunteering with Community Speedwatch can often be a thankless, and a particularly cold task at this time of year! However, Doug’s work over recent years has no doubt helped to make the roads safer, particularly for the people of Somerset."