Officers recognised in Queen's New Year Honours List

Two Police Scotland officers have been recognised for their outstanding public service in the Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours list.

Detective Chief Superintendent Sam McCluskey, Head of Public Protection, and Chief Inspector Lindsay Tulloch, area commander for Shetland, will receive the Queen’s Police Service Medal (QPM) - the highest honour awarded for policing service.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone QPM said: “Our officers, staff and volunteers are committed to public service and dedicated to helping others in all our communities.

“I extend my warmest congratulations to those recognised today for the significant contributions they have made to policing in Scotland.”

Detective Chief Superintendent McCluskey said: “I am really honoured and humbled to receive this award. I have had the privilege of working with great people, both in the police service and with our partner organisations and would like to thank them for their tremendous support in driving our work forward."

Chief Inspector Tulloch added: "This recognition by Her Majesty the Queen today is a great honour which I am extremely humbled and proud to receive. I am very fortunate and feel privileged to have the opportunity to be part of a team of dedicated people, not only within Police Scotland, but from partner agencies and the voluntary sector who continue to support and keep people in our communities safe."

Detective Chief Superintendent McCluskey has spent most of her career as a detective and devoted much of it to the support of victims. She has been Head of Detective Training at the Scottish Police College and in 2014 was appointed Head of the Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit and Task Force. She implemented a national Domestic Abuse policy and pioneered a victim centred–perpetrator focused approach.

Sam played a highly-significant role in the introduction of the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland, or Claire’s Law, and Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.

Chief Inspector Tulloch is the Area Commander for Shetland in the Highlands and Island Division. A Shetlander himself, he has shown outstanding leadership and organisational skills and met the challenge of introducing a positive policing model to the island’s communities and developing relationships with key partners.

During the pandemic Chief Inspector Tulloch’s leadership and clarity of purpose undoubtedly help prevent unnecessary escalation.

He joined Northern Constabulary at Inverness in 1992 and transferred to Orkney in 1997. In 2000, following a secondment to Inverness he became a detective constable and was promoted to sergeant in 2003.

In 2006 he became a detective sergeant at Lerwick and in 2012 promoted to the rank of inspector at Thurso, transferring to detective inspector in Public Protection with responsibility for Caithness, Orkney and Shetland. He returned to Shetland in 2014 taking over as Area Commander in 2015.