Melissa Dark who has been recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
(Picture: City of London Police)A City of London police officer has been named as an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Melissa Dark was awarded the honour for her services to the community, police and the voluntary sector through her work as the force’s Casualty Bureau Manager and Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Coordinator.
Melissa joined the City of London Police in 2010 but is now seconded as the National Casualty Bureau Coordinator.
She said:“I was really shocked when I found out I was to be awarded an MBE, and receiving it in the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee makes it even more special.
“I feel so honoured to receive this award and I want to say thank you to all of the incredible people that I have worked with over the course of my career in policing.”
She works for the City of London Police running casualty bureaus which are ready in the wake of major incidents.
During the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she used her experience to play a lead role the Pandemic Multi Agency Response Team to deliver a 24-hour response to sudden deaths across London.
She also ensured this could be replicated and worked with other regions in the UK that were experiencing similar volumes of deaths, sharing her strategic and operational knowledge.
Melissa has strengthened the force’s relationship with other agencies, including the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, and has lead on the Survivor Reception Centre element to the largest ever major incident exercise in Europe.
City of London Police Commissioner Angela McLaren said: “I am struck not only by the level of professionalism and leadership that Melissa exhibits during high-pressure situations, but also how passionate she is about her work and the compassion she has for others in the darkest of times.
“Melissa is an asset to the City of London Police and a shining example of someone who puts victims, and their loved ones, at the heart of everything she does.”
Melissa’s service to victims has also extended beyond the City of London, having set up casualty plans in response to national incidents including the: Westminster Bridge terror attack, Manchester Arena terror attack, London Bridge terror attack; Grenfell Tower fire, Fishmongers Hall attack and death of migrants in a lorry in Essex.
