Queen is to honour Lothian police chief

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[AbsolutelyWilliam] Queen is to honour Lothian police chief


JANE HAMILTON CRIME REPORTER

ONE of Lothian and Borders? most senior police officers is to be honoured by the Queen at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace later this month.

Chief Superintendent Jimmy Pryde, who officially retires from the force at the end of June, will travel to London to receive the gong for 30 years of distinguished police service.

The 52-year-old police chief, who ends his career with Lothian and Borders Police on a high note, described the honour as "a nice reward for all the hard work over the years".

And as he prepares to take up a new post as head of security with the National Museums of Scotland, Mr Pryde said his rise through the ranks and the responsibilities of his job, which included being in charge of almost 500 people and a budget of ?16.7 million, was "not bad for someone who left school with three O-levels".

Ch Supt Pryde joined the force in 1972 as a constable in West Lothian.

In 1997, he was promoted to Chief Superintendent, divisional commander of C Division with responsibility for 385 officers and 76 support staff.

Last year, he was transferred to the operations division where he now manages 200 officers and 220 support staff in a range of areas, including traffic operations and emergency planning.

He said although he has met the Queen before on royal visits to the Capital, he was beginning to feel "nervous" about the ceremony.

Mr Pryde, who is married with a 19-year-old daughter, said high points in his long career with the force include successfully negotiating with a knife-wielding maniac who was holding a female hostage in her home and threatening to rape and kill her.

He said: "It was one of my proudest moments. He was a complete stranger and he was holding this woman hostage. I had to get incredibly close to him and managed to persuade him to let her go. He later got seven years in jail."

Successfully negotiating with the man earned him a Chief Constable?s Commendation.

The keen golfer, who is also heavily involved in charity work, has met former South African president Nelson Mandela and the Sultan of Brunei during his career.

He said: "I?ve thoroughly enjoyed the job but the force of today is nothing like it was when I joined or even 20 years ago.

"The demands on policing has been tremendous over the last few years and I agree with the Chief Constable that Edinburgh should receive capital city status for its police force."

And he said he was looking forward to the challenges his new role with the National Museums would bring. He said: "I will miss Lothian and Borders Police but I remember reading something a long time ago that said: ?When you start spending more time looking back than you do looking forward, it?s perhaps time to look for new challenges?."

Mr Pryde will travel to Buckingham Palace with his wife, Hazel, and daughter, Shona, for the ceremony on July 16.