Chief constable knighted in New Year Honours

The chief constable of West Yorkshire Police has been awarded a knighthood for services to policing in the King's New Year Honours for 2026.

Sir John Robins is the only chief constable to have completed all his service within one force, having joined in 1990 and been appointed force leader in 2019.

He said he was "humbled" by the recognition, adding: "To receive a knighthood for doing a job I love so much is just amazing."

Alongside leading the fourth-largest police force in the country, Sir John heads up Counter Terrorism Policing North East and the National Police Air Service.

"From a very young age I wanted to be in policing," Sir John said.

"I don't know why, but I was just drawn to it, drawn to helping other people and dealing with crime."

He said he had found himself telling new recruits, "I wish I was doing it all again".

"I've given my life to West Yorkshire Police. It's a part of me, it's part of my family, it's part of who I am," Sir John said.

He said he was "immensely proud" of Ramona Senior and Dudley Martin, two members of the force who were also recognised in the honours.

Ms Senior, a senior investigating officer at the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit with 20 years' service, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

• How does the UK honours system work?

A British Empire Medal (BEM) has been conferred on Mr Martin, who has spent 11,000 hours working as a police chaplain since he retired in 2012.

Sir John said: "Their dedication, professionalism and compassion exemplify the very best of West Yorkshire Police."

In 2019, the same year he became chief constable, Sir John was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for distinguished service.

He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire three years later.

Recently, he has overseen the national roll-out of Police Education in schools, which aims to improve children's understanding of risks, consequences and the law.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North