GIVE HIM A MEDAL
He gave his life for us, says ex-Met boss
A FORMER head of Scotland Yard has led calls for Keith Palmer to receive a posthumous honour for his ‘exceptional’ bravery.
The remarks by Lord Stevens, Met boss from 2000 to 2005, were joined by those of the police union chairman and the father of an officer who was stabbed to death.
They attacked how the Government-appointed honours committee had handed out gongs to ‘tinpot celebrities’, while snubbing courageous public servants.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Theresa May, who has vowed to clean up the honours system, said PC Palmer would be considered for an accolade after his ‘ultimate sacrifice’.
The top honour available to police is the George Cross, for gallantry of the greatest heroism or conspicuous courage in the face of extreme danger.
Sources believe the most likely accolade, if approved, would be a George Medal or Queen’s Gallantry Medal – the second and third highest.
But senior officers fear PC Palmer could be snubbed by the honours committee. In 2006, the Daily Mail revealed Special Branch detective Stephen Oake, killed by an Al Qaeda terrorist three years earlier, had been overlooked for a George Cross. Three years later, he was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.
Yesterday Lord Stevens, patron of the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust, said: ‘I think Keith Palmer was the epitome of a really outstanding police officer. He stood in the way of a terrorist … to protect the Houses of Parliament. He gave his life for that.’
His call was echoed by the father of WPC Nina Mackay, 25, who was fatally stabbed during a police raid 20 years ago. Sidney Mackay, a retired Met chief superintendent, said: ‘Keith Palmer’s outstanding bravery must be recognised at a very high level.’
The Police Federation’s Steve White said: ‘It would be entirely appropriate for Keith and his family to be recognised … a reflection of how grateful we are for what he did.
‘The priority of the honours system should be to recognise people who serve the public and put their lives at risk .’
‘Hero’ MP Tobias Ellwood, who battled to save PC Keith Palmer’s life, and security minister Ben Wallace, who helped co-ordinate the Government’s response, have been honoured for their actions on Wednesday.
The Queen has approved their appointment to the Privy Council, which means the pair will now be referred to as ‘Right Honourable’ and receive top-secret security briefings.