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

Temporary Inspector Jason Diamond has been recognised in the New Years Honours with the award of the KPM (King’s Police Medal) for his outstanding service and unwavering commitment to reducing road casualties, particularly those involving motorcyclists.

Raised in Blaenau Ffestiniog, T/Inspector Diamond has served North Wales Police for the entirety of his almost 30 years’ service.

He began his career in January 1997 working in the Caernarfon and Porthmadog area before joining the Traffic Department at Dolgellau in March 2000. He was then promoted to the rank of Sergeant and worked as part of the response team in Gwynedd South as well as Custody.

In 2010 he joined the Royal Residence Protection Team when the Prince and Princess of Wales lived on Anglesey and returned to the Roads Policing Unit in 2013.

Most of his career has been with the Operational Support Services (OSS) Team as part of the Roads Policing Unit (later becoming the Roads Crime Unit) gaining vast experience in dealing with serious and fatal road traffic collisions.

He has also led operationally on North Wales Police’s Op Darwen campaign (which was later renamed Op Apex), helping to drive improvements through education and engagement, working closely with riders and partners to improve awareness, influence behaviour and help make the roads safer for vulnerable road users.

T/Inspector Diamond said: “I feel privileged to have been a police officer for the last 30 years, working in the Gwynedd South area as well as being part of the Operational Support Services team.

“Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to work with dedicated colleagues, especially the teams I have been lucky enough to supervise. I would like them to know that they have helped me as much as I may have helped them, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

“From sadly dealing with countless serious and fatal collisions and leading the force with our motorcycling road safety campaign to working with committed partners, I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive this honour.”

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman KPM said: “I am delighted that Jason has been recognised in this year’s Honours list. This honour recognises not only exceptional policing service, but also his significant and lasting contribution to protecting vulnerable road users, leading on our Op Darwen/Apex road safety campaign.

“He is held in the highest regard by his colleagues, especially those on the Roads Crime Unit and on behalf of North Wales Police, I offer my warmest congratulations to him for this very worthy recognition.”

Over the last 12 months he has been working closely with the Eryri National Park, Mountain Resue Teams and local communities as Temporary Inspector – looking at public safety campaigns, particularly around responsible tourism and looking at issues such as anti-social behaviour and general preparedness for visitors enjoying Eryri’s most popular areas.

He will receive his award at a ceremony in 2026.