Correspondence

Circular 010/2011: The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012

Published 15 September 2011

This circular provides eligibility criteria for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal award to police officers, members of the special constabulary and police community support officers.

1. Criteria

1. Emergency services personnel who have been in paid service, retained or in a voluntary capacity, dealing with emergencies as part of their conditions of service, and have completed five full calendar years on 6 February 2012.  

2. The medal will be worn on the left breast, immediately after UK police and operational service medals, including UN and NATO medals, and in date order with all other coronation or jubilee medals. 

3. The medal or medal ribbon may not be worn until eligibility has been confirmed by the force and, subsequent to that, the medal may not be worn prior to Tuesday 5 June 2012 (date agreed with Cabinet Office and date of the official thanksgiving service).  

4. Those who will qualify for receipt of the medal, and the associated eligibility criteria, will be as follows: 

2. Police officers

All officers in paid service on Monday 6 February 2012, have completed five full calendar years’ service, and were properly attested on or prior to Wednesday 7 February 2007 are eligible. The total of five years’ qualifying service may be aggregated, but unpaid or broken service will not count. There is, however, no limit on the amount of unpaid or broken service provided that the correct overall total of five years’ aggregated service is fully accounted for. In calculating the length of service, no deductions or pro-rata arrangements will apply. Therefore, officers who work or have worked reduced hours will be considered as though they have worked the full hours. In addition, the following qualifying criteria will apply:

1. Police officers serving on secondment outside the UK will qualify for the medal provided they fulfil all other eligibility criteria. Former police officers who are now training personnel in overseas forces will not qualify for the medal
2. Police officers on secondment to HMIC, NPIA, SOCA, NCA, the Home Office and other government departments will also qualify for the medal. Parent forces will be responsible for ensuring that their officers are included in their orders for medals. 
3. Police officers subject to formal disciplinary procedures on 6 February 2012, which could result in dismissal or requirement to resign, will have their eligibility determined once the outcome of those procedures is known. If the disciplinary action results in dismissal or requirement to resign, and no appeal against that outcome is upheld, the officer will not receive the medal. In all other outcomes, the officer’s eligibility will be determined in accordance with the normal criteria. 

Police officers on unpaid service on 6 February 2012 will be eligible for the medal but the periods of unpaid service will not count towards the five years’ qualifying criteria.

3. Special constables

All special constables who are in service with the special constabulary on Monday 6 February 2012, and have completed five full calendar years’ service, and were properly attested on or prior to Wednesday 7 February 2007. The total of five years’ qualifying service may be aggregated, but broken service will not count. There is, however, no limit on the amount of broken service provided that the correct overall total of five years’ aggregated service is fully accounted for.

4. Police community support officers

All police community support officers (PCSOs) who are in service on Monday 6 February 2012, and have completed five full calendar years’ service, and joined on or prior to Wednesday 7 February 2007. The total of five years’ qualifying service may be aggregated, but broken service will not count. There is, however, no limit on the amount of broken service provided that the correct overall total of five years aggregated service is fully accounted for.

Police staff, other than serving PCSOs, including former police officers, former special constables, former PCSOs, members of the Traffic Warden Service and volunteers, are not eligible for the medal.

5. Aggregated service

1. Aggregated service will be taken into account. Police officers, who have less than five years’ service with their force, may have previously served as a special constable, PCSO, a member of the armed forces or as a member of another eligible emergency service. Providing the officer is in service on 6 February 2012, and their aggregated service amounted to more than five years, then they will be eligible for the medal. The officer would, however, need to apply for the medal, and would be invited by their force to provide proof of their previous service. Service as a police cadet will not count as aggregated service.

2. Previous equivalent service with overseas territories (Gibraltar, Bermuda, Falkland Islands or Montserrat) will count towards eligibility. Previous equivalent service with Commonwealth countries of which Her Majesty the Queen is head of state (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Soloman Islands, and Tuvalu), will also count towards eligibility. The onus will be on individual officers and special constables to provide evidence of service in these areas.

3. No other equivalent decoration, award or medal (including foreign or Commonwealth) may be worn to commemorate the accession of Her Majesty the Queen.

4. Qualifying service shall only count once towards eligibility. 

5. Only one qualifying period of eligibility will be considered as only one medal may be earned, accepted and worn by an individual.  For example if a police officer is also a member of the Mountain Rescue Service then he or she will be eligible for one medal, which will be awarded from the police service.

6. The medals will not be presented.  Medals will be issued, when available, via forces to recipients including those who leave on or after 6 February 2012 and to the next of kin of those eligible personnel who have since deceased via their parent force. 

7. Each recipient, or next of kin, must sign for their medal.  Each force will need to maintain a list of recipients of the medal, including name, rank, date of joining the service and the officer’s signature of receipt.  A complete electronic list of those recipients should be emailed to DiamondJubileeMedal2012@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk once compiled.

8. There will be no appeal against a decision that a police officer, special constable or PCSO is not eligible to receive the medal.

9. It is the responsibility of each force to identify all eligible officers by Friday 14 October 2011 and email DiamondJubileeMedal2012@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk with the required numbers. In addition, please provide a name and address of someone that will be able to take delivery of the medals after the 6 February 2012. In light of the current economic climate, it is imperative that police forces provide a conservative estimate of how many medals are needed.