Queen Elizabeth II

Updated on Sunday 18 September 2022. 

Police officers from across the country are in London, supporting the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, our longest serving monarch whom they – along with every other officer including me – took an oath to serve. While they are there first and foremost to ensure the safety and security of the public, they will no doubt be paying their own personal respects.

For over 70 years, Her Majesty The Queen has been a significant figure for policing in whose name countless acts of justice have been carried out, and law and order maintained. This is a momentous time for the police in which we will remember our monarch as the incredible leader she was, a true Queen of the people. 

I had the honour of meeting the Queen as chief constable in Avon and Somerset when she came to name Windsor, a new police horse. My fond memory is how Windsor would not leave her handbag alone and she confided in me that she had a tube of polos that he had sniffed out and asked if she could give him one. She was a truly remarkable woman who always put everyone at ease.

As we enter the new era of King Charles III, all officers will recommit themselves to delivering a policing service that the public trusts to carry out the work of the crown with integrity and fairness to keep them safe.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, College of Policing