Three decades of hard graft has been recognised for a retired assistant chief constable.
Former senior Lancashire Police officer Ian Dawson from Preston, has received the prestigious gong in the King’s New Year’s Honours list.
The 53 year old retired in 2023 and has now been hailed for his outstanding public service to the people of Lancashire.
Whilst working for the force he received numerous commendations and oversaw change in policing which was recognised as best practice nationally.
Rewarding career
Ian said: “I am humbled to be receiving such a prestigious award. Having worked for Lancashire Constabulary for 30 years in my home county it has been a privilege to work with so many brilliant people serving the public of Lancashire, in what has been such a varied and rewarding career.”
In 1996 Ian received a Bravery Award for displaying great courage when assisting in the apprehension of two violent and ruthless criminals. Between 1997 and 2002 he received three Divisional Commanders Commendations for displaying outstanding dedication and commitment to duty, going above and beyond that of which the role required.
Ian introduced the first Evidence-Based Policing team to Lancashire Constabulary. This created a synergy between the Constabulary and leading regional and national academic institutions, which has driven innovative and successful projects for the last decade. This included statistical modelling to improve criminal investigations, transforming safeguarding for vulnerable victims, and world-first insight into big data.
Ian led and championed, nationally, the world’s first voice-to-text solution for police control rooms, which won the 2020 National Security and Innovation Award and was commended by the chief scientific officer for Policing as one of the best innovations in policing.
Ian also oversaw projects specifically aimed at recognising vulnerabilities in victims and how that should impact our response at an early stage.
In his role as assistant chief constable, Ian led the force in areas including tackling Organised Crime, improving Criminal Justice outcomes for victims and investigating major crime.
Prestigious honour
Lancashire Police’s chief constable Chris Rowley said: “I am delighted that Ian has received such a prestigious honour for the outstanding work he delivered during his policing career with Lancashire Constabulary.
“Ian was an inspirational leader who gave so much during his policing career to improve the lives of others. His number one priority over the last 30 years has been protecting the public.
“Driven by courage, curiosity, and creativity he has blazed a trail for policing and a legacy that has led to success over decades of dedicated public service.”
