An outstanding chief officer and a member of staff at Thames Valley Police have been recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Deputy chief constable Benjamin Snuggs has been awarded the King’s Police Medal (KPM) for Distinguished Service to policing in a career that has spanned more than 26 years.  

He was appointed as deputy chief constable of Thames Valley Police in April this year, having previously served in the same role for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.

Oxford Mail: Benjamin Snuggs

He said: “I am truly humbled to have been awarded a King’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

"Great policing and community service relies on effective teamwork and I want to recognise and thank all the fantastic colleagues right across policing with whom I work.”

DCC Snuggs recently led the force and multiagency policing response for Prince Philip’s funeral.

From March 2020 to September 2021, he served as assistant chief constable, operations with responsibility for the Joint Operations Unit and Contact Management across Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary.

He chairs the national Forensic Information Database Services (FINDS) Strategy Board on behalf of the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC). He is also the national lead for Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, having served as a negotiator for many years.

In 2009, he served in Afghanistan as a European Union Police Mission civilian police advisor to the Minister of the Interior.

A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he has a degree in Law and Criminology and a Masters Degree in Police Leadership and Management.

And Tori Olphin, chief data scientist and head of research for Thames Valley Police’s Violence Reduction Unit, has been made an MBE for services to technology in the public sector.

She has served for over three years with Thames Valley Police, bringing the latest approaches to how the force gathers evidence and evaluates its performance.

Oxford Mail: Tori Olphin

She developed what has become the largest randomised control trial of the impact of hotspot policing which has been highlighted as national best practice by the Home Office and the College of Policing.

And she developed cutting-edge approaches to the way data and technology is used to predict risk and vulnerability and the way information is shared with partners.

She said: “It is an enormous privilege to be working in a role where I can directly assist the way that we keep people safe, by conducting research and developing new tools and approaches, particularly for the most vulnerable in our society.  

“The way that we use technology brings huge opportunities to our communities, but through my work I have made it a priority that we do so with transparency and to benefit all in a fair and open way.  

“I am incredibly honoured to receive this award and am extremely grateful to those I work with and for the opportunity to continue my work in this exciting and challenging area.”

Chief constable for Thames Valley Police Jason Hogg said: “I am proud that both Ben and Tori have been honoured.  

“Their dedication and commitment to policing and protecting our communities is clear to see.

“The recognition of their achievements is not just a reflection on themselves but also Thames Valley Police.

“Congratulations to Ben and Tori from myself and the force.”