By Samantha Jones-
A police officer who dedicated his working life to serving and helping other officers in the Met were recognised with an MBE in tonight’s New Year’s Honours List.
Nigel “Nobby” Goodband joined the British Transport Police (BTP)in 1991, after eight years with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. His impeccable record as a police officer ranks him among honourable officers providing an excellent service for society.
During his time with BTP, Nigel embarked on a career of disrupting serious and organised crime across the rail network, working across CID and the National Intelligence arena.
He received a commendation from the coroner for his work on the Greyrigg train crash and led the first ever court contested murder investigation for BTP.
Alongside his operational accomplishments, Nigel also worked tirelessly to represent BTP officers as an elected representative of the BTP Federation.
In 2016, he was named national chair of the BTP Federation, and became the face of the organisation internally, externally, nationally and internationally.
Under his tenure, PC Goodband accomplished huge change, including a new constitution, broader voting rights, the Federation Awards of Excellence and he successfully negotiated across a wide range of complex and emotive areas.
His citation for the honour reads: “His down to earth style, humour, impressive knowledge, trailblazing operational accomplishments, steadfast sense of justice, permanent smile and ability to somehow find time for everybody, leads him to be universally admired.”
Nigel stepped down as chair earlier this year.
On receiving this honour, Nigel said: “Wow, I am speechless (which is unusual for me) – nonetheless honoured and very proud to be receiving such recognition from His Majesty King Charles III.
“Policing for me has genuinely been a job like no other and I have worked with some of the very best officers and staff that a police service can offer.
“I suspect without their dedication to duty, support, and courage my efforts would not have been recognised in this fashion. So, I am extremely grateful to all those officers and staff members that I worked with over the years, and I would like to say a very big thank you to them all.
“I would also like to thank whoever nominated me for the MBE, I cannot put into words what this honour means to me and my family.
“I am so proud of my time served in both the British Army and in British Transport Police and to receive this honour from HM King Charles III is unquestionably the highlight of my career.”
Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said: “Nobby served a trailblazing career with BTP, which included investigating the force’s first ever court-contested murder case and establishing a model for investigating major incidents alongside our partners.
“Alongside those incredible achievements, he worked tirelessly to represent BTP officers through the BTP Federation and was elected national chair in 2016.
“Nobby dedicated his working life to serving and helping others, bringing about change and supporting everyone who needed assistance, advice or support. He should be very proud of this honour and we are very proud of him.”
Inspector Jim Jones, from Rossendale, has been awarded a BEM in the King’s New Year Honours List, for his services to policing and the armed forces.
Inspector Jones, who has given 27-years of service to GMP, currently works as part of the Specialist Operations Branch at Manchester Airport and acts as the force’s Tactical Lead for the Armed Forces Covenant.
Speaking about the honour, Inspector Jim Jones said: “We are indebted to His Majesty’s Armed Forces personnel both past and present; not just to those who serve in conflict zones, but to all those – including family members – who often put their own personal lives on hold, living transient lives to serve King and country to protect the freedoms we take for granted.
Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: “I want to take this opportunity to praise and thank all the Met’s dedicated officers, staff and volunteers for their extraordinary service to the communities of London and beyond.
“Policing asks for enormous commitment from them and the exceptional achievements of all on this New Year’s Honours list are examples of policing at its best, and they all deserve to feel very proud. I am certainly proud of them and thank them for their service to communities.”
Detective Inspector Jonathan Mearns, a Counter Terrorism (CT) Liaison Officer, received an OBE for services to international CT policing. DI Mearns has been instrumental in liaising with multiple organisations in the field in the wake of major foreign incidents. Overseeing delivery of human rights compliant investigators, supervisors and interviewers courses, he led on countering terrorist financing, and ensuring Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) training, building capacity with foreign CT units and governments.
He said: “I am incredibly grateful to those who took the time to nominate me for such an honour. To receive an OBE is an incredible recognition of what I and others do on a day to day basis.