Senior West Midlands Police officer receives Queen's Police Medal

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne was recognised for his decades of policing during a Buckingham Palace ceremony on Thursday when he received the medal from Prince William.

The current head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands was nominated in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list after playing a leading role in solving some of the region's most serious crimes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Payne joined the force in 1994 and rose through the ranks to spend time as head of homicide, force CID and to oversee professional standards.

He also spent time as temporary assistant chief constable for local policing.

Detective Chief Superintendent Payne has led a series of high profile investigations including the operations which saw gang kingpin and murderer Tafarwa Beckford jailed for 32 years; the investigation into rogue surgeon Ian Paterson, and brothers Roger and David Cooper who killed Sameena Imam.

Detective Chief Superintendent Payne, who attended the ceremony with his wife, said: "It is a real honour, no pun intended, to be awarded the Queen's Police Medal.

"I have had a fabulous career, loved every minute and been involved in some fantastic investigations. This is the icing on the cake."