Suffolk woman 'humbled' by police volunteering King's honour

"I can't really believe it's happened, to be honest," said Karen Harris about receiving a BEM

A woman from Suffolk has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her outstanding contribution to volunteering in policing.

Karen Harris, 59, from Felixstowe, joined the Suffolk Constabulary staff in 2002.

She developed initiatives across different units, from the volunteering programme to supporting abuse victims.

"This award has consolidated everything I've done over the last 20 years, it's really amazing," Ms Harris said.

Growing up, her father was a community police officer in Suffolk for 30 years.

"I remember wanting to become a police officer and my dad said to me: 'No, no darling, you go off and do something else', and I did," said the 59-year-old.

She had a career in recruitment and training before having children, after which she joined the constabulary as a staff member.

"There's a few things I've done that I'm really proud of and they've all been acknowledged in the award, which is just fantastic," she told the BBC.

Ms Harris helped set up the Suffolk Sexual Assault Referral Centre, supporting victims of sexual abuse.

In 2014, she also started promoting the volunteer scheme, helping it grow from 36 volunteers to 170.

Karen Harris promoted Suffolk Constabulary's volunteering scheme, helping it expand significantly

"I often say I moved from dealing with people from the dark side of humanity, those horrendous crimes that people commit, to the light side - being with these fantastic people that wanted to volunteer and support our organisation," she said.

The following year, she set up the award-winning Suffolk Mounted Volunteer scheme, enrolling horse riders in countryside communities to provide information on rural crime.

Later, she focussed on improving diversity within the Cadet units, as well as supporting other women through the Suffolk Association for Women in Policing.

'Out of the blue'

Ms Harris found out she would receive a BEM while on holiday with her daughter.

She said: "We were sitting in a cafe and it was pouring with rain, I got the notification and was completely dumbstruck - it came completely out of the blue.

"I've nominated volunteers in the past for this award and I know how much work is involved to get somebody even nominated.

"So to have been awarded it is just really humbling and I can't really believe it's happened, to be honest."

Other people in Suffolk to have been awarded in the birthday honours include Prof Helen Langton, vice-chancellor of the University of Suffolk, who received an MBE for services to education, and Richard Clarke, crew manager at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, who was given a BEM for services to The Fire Fighters Charity and the local community.