Three Essex Police officers have been recognised in the New Year Honours list.
Ch Con Ben-Julian Harrington and Det Ch Insp Danny Stoten have received Queen’s Policing Medals, while PC Dawn Wood has been given a British Empire Medal (BEM).
As co-chair of the Essex Resilience Forum, Ch Con Harrington contributed to coordinating the Covid-19 pandemic response.
He said he was “deeply honoured” to be awarded the medal.
Det Ch Insp Stoten led the investigation into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children found in a lorry in Grays, which resulted in the convictions of eight men.
He also served as the senior investigating officer on high-profile cases including the murders of Courtney Valentine-Brown and Fabian Kacica.
PC Dawn Wood, part of the force’s marine unit, rowed solo across the Atlantic to highlight the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans.
She said: “I had to read the letter three or four times; I couldn’t believe it.
“I’m not normally lost for words, but I was this time.”
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