Officer ‘humbled’ to receive British Empire Medal for services to policing and the community

20 June 2025

A Northamptonshire Police Federation member says he was ‘shocked’ and ‘humbled’ to receive the British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours.

PC Junior Anderson, who is part of the Youth Violence Intervention Team, receives the award for services to policing and to the community in Northamptonshire.

“I was totally shocked when I found out,” said Junior, who has been with the Force for 20 years.

“I just do my job, which is to engage with the community on a policing level and on a personal level.

“It’s something that I love to do, and I never expected anything like this to happen because of it.”

 

PC Junior Anderson.

 

Junior found out about his nomination around two weeks ago when he received a call from the Cabinet Office and a letter to his home address.

“My wife, Rebecca, was in the house when I opened the letter,” he explained. “She said she was so proud of me – but we had to keep it quiet, which hasn’t been easy.”

Junior says he was nominated for the British Empire Medal by his old sergeant, Dina Sunderland, who has now retired from the Force.

He said: “She has spoken to me since and congratulated me. She said that you do so much and you keep doing so much for people – that when we worked together, you went out of your way.

Prison

“Young people would say that they wanted to change because of the way you are.

“She said she had to do it.”

Junior said there are two elements to his role.

The first is working with people who are coming out of prison, while the second is working with young people.

“We steer them away from crime, away from knives and guns,” he said. “We want to give them alternatives. Get them into education. Help them get into work.

Interview

“If they don’t have anywhere to live, we help them to find accommodation, or if they need assisted living accommodation, we’ll look to sort that out.

“We help them get a bank account, to get a job interview, to get registered with a doctor, a dentist – that sort of thing,

“And we would get them to see a mentor, so they can speak to somebody who has lived experience and can help them to change their outlook.”

Away from policing, Junior has been training in martial arts for the past 48 years.

He is an eighth-degree black belt, and has won three world titles.

British Empire Medal

At around the same time that he found out he was to receive the British Empire Medal, Junior was inducted into the TYGA governing body’s London International Hall of Fame.

The London International Hall of Fame recognises people who have made significant contributions to the martial arts world.

Junior said: “I feel humbled to have this as well as the BEM. My family are just over the moon.

“I left school aged 15, and when our teachers asked us what we wanted to do, my two choices were to become a karate instructor and a police officer.

“I’ve done both.

“The things I aimed to do as a 15-year-old, I’ve achieved, which was to get out there and to help people.”

READ MORE: Sam Dobbs sets out priorities as chair following re-election.