The detective who led the investigation that found and convicted the murderers of teenaged best friends Max Dixon and Mason Rist has been named in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Det Supt Gary Haskins is the head of the major crime investigation team (MCIT), which covers Avon & Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, and led the inquiry into the double murder that shocked the nation back in January.
In November, five people were convicted of the murders of both teenagers, who were stabbed outside Mason’s home in Knowle West, and all five have now received life sentences.
Det Supt Haskins has been a police officer for almost 30 years, and has led the MCIT since 2020. He’s now been awarded the King’s Police Medal, one of the honours that forms part of the King’s New Year Honours list alongside recipients of knighthoods, MBEs and OBEs.
The award recognises his distinguished police service, and he has also been recognised for his role in setting up a project that tried to stop young people who have committed an offence from re-offending. The Calling Project was set up in 2021, and has an 80 per cent success rate in encouraging participants not to reoffend.
“It’s extremely humbling and a true honour to be awarded the King’s Police Medal,” he said. “I grew up in Bristol, so it’s been a privilege to have spent my entire policing career in the Avon and Somerset area. All I’ve ever wanted to do is make a difference, so to be recognised in this way is completely unexpected.
“For me, this honour is a testament to the dedicated and caring people I’ve worked with and alongside over the past 28 years,” he added.
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The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset police, Sarah Crew, said Det Supt Haskins was ‘tenacious’. “Gary is a hugely empathetic, as well as professional, detective,” she said. “He is tenacious in his approach to bring offenders to justice, but crucially never loses sight of the human impact. He treats every family and every victim as if they are one of his own, which is a quality that epitomises the caring nature policing must always have,” she added.
Other figures associated with Avon and Somerset police have also been named in the New Years Honours list. The senior force chaplain Andy Paget has been awarded an MBE, for 25 years service to support officers, staff and families.
Douglas Allen has been awarded a British Empire Medal, for 50 years of voluntary service to the police. He started as a voluntary Special Constable when he was 18 back in 1960, and served for 34 years until 1994. Since retiring, he has worked with the Community Speedwatch organisation for the past 20 years, particularly in South Somerset.
In Bristol, Desmond Brown has been awarded an MBE for his work with young people in the city. He created Growing Futures in 2013 to work with young people excluded from school or impacted by violence or exploitation. He was the chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Racial Equality from 2017, and helped set up the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers panel, in the wake of controversial incidents like the Tasering of community leader Ras Judah Adunbi in 2017.
“This is an honour for me and my family, but more than that, it recognises the importance of the voice of the community in delivering equity and justice for everyone,” he said. “That work continues.”
Chief Constable Sarah Crew added: “Desmond remains a tireless campaigner for doing the right thing. He is someone who typifies the phrase ‘critical friend’ and we are hugely grateful for his open-mindedness, but also willingness to hold us to account to drive us to improve the service we provide all our communities.”