Officers recognised at Cyber Community Awards
Police Scotland officers have been recognised at the inaugural Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) Cyber Community Awards - for making a difference to the safety of people online.
Sergeant Beverly Bowles, of the Cyber Crime Prevention Team, and Detective Inspector Michael McCullagh were each presented with an SBRC Shine a Light Award.
The judges praised Bev for her work to deliver presentations across Scotland to school groups, charities and businesses sharing important key messages to stay secure online.
Michael’s outstanding contribution to the Scottish cyber community and his pivotal work with the cybercrime unit in assisting companies who have experienced an attack was acknowledged.
Gordon Macdonald, who recently retired from the service as a detective constable, was presented with a Special Recognition Award for showing incredible initiative to keep people safe online. The judges congratulated him and said that Gordon had been passionate about the area of cyber security and that it was clear from those who nominated him that he had gone above and beyond the line of duty.
Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said:
“Bev, Michael and Gordon are deserving recipients of these awards which recognise their outstanding commitment and contribution to keeping our communities safe in the cyber and digital world. I congratulate them all.
“It was pleasing to see their hard and ongoing cybersecurity work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders being acknowledged.
“This reflects the work we are currently undertaking following the launch of our own ambitious Cyber Strategy, which sets out how we will tackle the increasing threat and keep Scotland's communities safe from cybercrime and those who commit crimes in the digital space.”
Jude McCorry, CEO of the SBRC, said:
“The awards highlight that despite the challenges every one of us has faced over the last 12 months, there continues to be an incredible amount of good being done to elevate cyber education and awareness. With the programmes and contributions supporting a broad range of people – from young people and their parents to peers and other professionals – I take great pride in all that is being done to increase cyber resilience across Scotland.”
At the virtual ceremony, five awards were given to individuals and organisations from across education and the public, private and third sectors as recognition for their dedication to promoting cybersecurity skills.
The SBRC awards have been established to celebrate the considerable contribution of individuals and organisations who keep Scotland’s online community safe. From mentors to educators, the awards recognise those sharing how small changes can make a huge different to the safety of people online.
