A Queen's Police Medal (QPM) has been awarded to the top cop at Cheshire Police .

Chief constable Simon Byrne received the prize in the New Year’s Honours list.

The QPM recognises officers who have demonstrated a lasting commitment to delivering effective policing throughout their careers in the force.

Chief constable Byrne, who first joined the police in 1982, was appointed to the post in his home county of Cheshire in 2014.

He said: “I am absolutely thrilled with this award.

“It is due in no small part to the support I have had from my family, friends and colleagues in the police forces and other organisations I have worked with during my career.”

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Chief constable Byrne is one of three police chiefs to receive the honour in this year’s list.

Cheshire Chief Constable Simon Byrne in front of a police BMW X5 by Ellesmere Port Civic Hall: Operation Crossbow 3

Officers who receive the QPM are deemed to have managed a range of highly complex issues, putting the public and victims of crime at the heart of everything they have done.

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Beginning his career on the beat with the Metropolitan Police in 1982, chief constable Byrne moved to Merseyside Police three years later where he spent more than 20 years.

He moved up the ranks to become police commander for Knowsley before accepting the role of deputy chief constable at Greater Manchester Police in 2009.

After a return to the Met in 2011, where he headed up the largest operational command in the county, chief constable Byrne stepped up to his current post in Cheshire in June 2014.

In his time in the position he has overseen the introduction of local policing units and increased the number of officers on the front line.

Cheshire Constabulary has also been named a 'caring' force and awarded an 'outstanding' rating for efficiency in recent months.

Simon will be taking up the national portfolio of criminal justice for the NPCC in 2016, where he will continue his work on behalf of victims as he chairs the Criminal Justice Coordination Committee.

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