THE assistant chief constable of Thames Valley Police has been recognised for his work in overseeing police operations for two royal weddings.
In the Queen’s birthday honours, ACC David Hardcastle received the Royal Victorian Order for his service to the Queen and the Royal Household.
Responsible for the Joint Operations Unit which serves both Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary, ACC Hardcastle’s duties includes overseeing roads policing, firearms, public order, specialist search, mounted and marine units.
And his role takes him to the forefront of policing major events, tacking counter terrorism activity and managing highly demanding civil contingency events.
His honour was granted in recognition of the work that he undertook last year for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May and the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank in October.
But it’s not the only high profile policing work he has undertaken. He was also in command for the visit of the President of the United States to Thames Valley in 2018 and has also just commanded the extensive policing operation in Portsmouth for the D-Day 75 Commemoration.
ACC Hardcastle said: “I am absolutely thrilled that policing has been recognised and I am tremendously humbled to receive such a personal award from Her Majesty. I am proud to be a police officer and be able to make a difference every day to the communities that we serve, and I am privileged to lead a team of fantastic officers and staff.
“There can’t be many careers that provide such a variety of opportunities and experiences and it has been an honour to have been involved in delivering the policing element in such iconic events.
“I could not have done any of it without the involvement of so many great people, and I thank them for the support they have provided.”
And the news has delighted his fellow officers.
John Campbell, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police said: “I welcome the recognition of ACC Hardcastle and offer congratulations on behalf of all his Thames Valley Police colleagues and our partners. The safe and successful delivery of large scale events requires a huge amount of planning and ACC Hardcastle has commanded the policing operations for multiple events which carefully balanced the need for security and public safety with enabling everyone to share in the joy and excitement of these happy occasion.”
