Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours – MBE awarded to #TeamSWP’s Marcia Gittens

 

Congratulations to #TeamSWP’s Marcia Gittens who – just weeks after scooping national and international prizes naming her police Civilian of the Year – has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours list.

Honoured for her services to Diversity in Policing, Marcia’s accolade will arguably be more memorable than most as she receives it during the Jubilee year marking Her Majesty’s unprecedented 70 years of service. 

She also discovered she’d been put forward for the prestigious recognition on what would have been her late mother’s birthday.  

Marcia has been instrumental in leading change in policing over the last 20 years, ensuring officers, staff and communities are treated equally, with dignity and respect.

She has a string of achievements to her name, including being a founding member and current co-chair of the South Wales Police Black Police Association; leading and advising on both local and national reports and policies relating to equality, recruitment and retention, and race; and a wealth of voluntary work.

Commenting on her royal stamp of approval, Marcia said:

“When the letter arrived on my mother’s birthday, I just welled up. I was stuck for words. It felt like the perfect gift from her and I know she would have been so proud.

“It’s so nice to have been recognised but none of it – the work I do or my voluntary work with the BPA and others – is done on my own. None of it would be possible without a huge amount of support from great, understanding family and friends and really good managers and colleagues.

“You just can’t do it alone, so it would be totally remiss of me not to acknowledge everyone who has helped and supported me.

“I always say when one wins, we all win, and I feel like this MBE is something we can all share and celebrate and be proud of.”

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan added: “Marcia is thoroughly deserving of this honour. Since joining South Wales Police, she has devoted her career to improving policing, ensuring the workplace is a fairer, more equal place for all and particularly for those who have traditionally been underrepresented, including women and members of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

“As we continually strive for a more representative workforce, this will only serve to benefit South Wales Police and the people we serve.

“Marcia was very recently named both British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP) and International Association of Women Police (IAWP)’s Civilian of the Year as a result of her ongoing work. The messages of support and congratulations she received from both colleagues and members of the public alike just goes to show how highly regarded she is.

“We’re very lucky to have her as part of #TeamSWP.”

Related: Staff member named Civilian of the Year in international award ceremony