Hero cop Andrew Harper’s widow to receive new medal recognising public servants killed in the line of duty
THE widow of hero cop Andrew Harper is among relatives to receive a new medal recognising public servants killed in the line of duty.
Lissie Harper and the families of police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone will receive the Elizabeth Emblem.
It is the civilian equivalent of the military’s Elizabeth Cross and honours emergency workers who lose their life in service.
Lissie receives the award after her husband Andrew was killed while responding to a quad bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019.
The 28-year-old newlywed got caught in a strap attached to the back of a getaway car and was dragged down a road.
Bryn Hughes and Paul Bone, fathers of Nicola and Fiona, led the three-year campaign for the award.
Read more on Andrew Harper
Their daughters were killed in a gun and grenade ambush by fugitive Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in 2012.
Mr Bone said the award was “vitally important” for all public sector workers who are killed in the line of duty.
He and Mr Hughes visited Downing Street this week.
PM Sir Keir Starmer said: “I hope this provides a fitting symbol of the pride and debt of gratitude the country owes to these selfless heroes.”
We salute you
PAUL Bone and Bryn Hughes have been tireless campaigners for the Elizabeth Emblem and I was pleased to welcome them to Downing Street as they become two of its first recipients.
I can only begin to imagine the pain they must have suffered following the tragic deaths of their daughters in the line of duty.
And so many other families have lost loved ones protecting others.
While no award could ever replace their loss, I hope this provides a fitting symbol of the pride and debt of gratitude the country owes to these selfless heroes.
By Sir Keir Starmer