A DEVON and Cornwall Police officer has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to policing in the New Year Honours List.

Temporary Inspector Mark Ruston, who has served with the Force for 26 years, has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in policing.

He has led multiple multi-agency responses to civil major incidents and has worked across operations, events and contingency planning in the Force.

He played a key role in the planning for the G7 World Leaders’ Summit in June 2021 which was the largest and most complex event ever undertaken by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Temporary Inspector Ruston said: “The news of this honour was a massive surprise. When I received the letter from the Cabinet Office, I thought I was being asked to contribute to the nomination for someone else - until I saw my name as the recipient!

“I am immensely proud and overwhelmed to have been awarded an MBE in His Majesty King Charles III first New Year Honours and I would like to thank those who nominated me. There are so many colleagues who I have worked alongside for 26 years who are just as deserving of such recognition because policing is delivered by teams, not individuals.

“My recent contribution to the safety and security of the G7 Summit in Cornwall was a career highlight and personally my most significant challenge yet, but our teams and the Force came together as we do so often across Devon and Cornwall to safely deliver the event whilst maintaining business as usual.

“This honour brings with it a sense of great pride, a bit of embarrassment, but some sadness as well having lost my mum to Covid in the January peak of 2021 leading up to the G7 Summit.

"I wish she were here for me to share this news with her. This award is also for her and her tireless support to me, and for my wonderful family who continue to prop me up, support me, and allow me to make my contribution to policing possible."

During the G7 Summit, Mark co-ordinated a team of advisors and worked across government and partner agencies bringing them together to focus on security along with opportunities to explore innovative ways of working.

He chaired the G7 security tasking group ensuring a mutual understanding of roles, needs and requirements, working with partners and building relationships to resolve different approaches to risk and threats. He also ensured the security plan could be delivered coherently to other strategic and tactical plans.

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew QPM said: “We are immensely proud of Mark’s achievement and would like to take the opportunity to wish him congratulations for his MBE which is a deserved reflection of his police career.

"Widely respected and liked by his colleagues, he has played a vital role in contingency planning for the Force for many years and was instrumental in the successful policing of the G7 Summit.

"Without doubt his pragmatic approach to security planning, combined with his commitment to work with partners and our communities, was absolutely key to delivering the event safely.

“Despite suffering personal tragedy during the planning phase of the event which was a painful and emotional time for him, he continued to deliver at an outstanding level. His professionalism, drive and passion ensured the delivery of a safe event with a substantial threat assessment against the backdrop of a continuing global pandemic.”