North Wales Police officer has been recognised in the King’s New Year honours list

31^st December 2024:

A North Wales Police officer has been recognised in the King’s New Year honours list.

Flintshire North Local Policing Sergeant Dave Smith, based in Deeside has been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community in north Wales, and to charity.

Sgt Smith, 38, who lives in Broughton, Flintshire with his family has spent 15 years in policing.

He founded Wrexham Police FC in early 2022 with the intention of building cohesion between the police and the communities they serve, whilst raising money for local charities, by off duty officers playing matches against a variety of opponents.

Since forming, Sgt Smith and the team have raised just over £48,000 for good causes and charities, and have been the recipients of several donations from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Michael Sheen, as well as the public of north Wales and beyond.

And, in the same year that North Wales Police has marked its 50th anniversary, a £50,000 fundraising target has been set by Wrexham Police FC.

Congratulating Sergeant Smith, Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman KPM said: “I’m delighted that Dave has been recognised for all his hard work.

“In his professional life, Dave embodies one of our force priorities of being visible and engaging with our communities, and he continues this in his own time through his charitable work.

“There is no doubt that the benefits of Dave’s efforts continue to be felt by our communities in north Wales.”

Sgt Smith said: “It’s a real honour for me to have been nominated like this – it was a complete surprise and it’s certainly not something I expected.

“It’s an individual award, but it’s been a real team effort to get to the point where we’re now on the cusp of reaching a fundraising total of just short of £50,000 in less than three years. I’m so grateful to everyone who has donated so far.

“Breaking down barriers between police officers and the communities we serve was at the heart of what we set out to do when we started fundraising in 2022.

“That’s what we want to continue to build on as we head into 2025.”