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Outstanding service
Queen honours “I’m due to receive the medal at a civil
ceremony in Birmingham in September but
we have also been invited to a Buckingham
Force’s lead looking forward to meeting the Queen. It’s
Palace garden party next year when we are
all very exciting.
“It sounds clichéd but I accept the award
on behalf of all the fantastic chaplains and
chaplain the West Midlands to support police officers,
faith advisers who give up their time across
staff and the wider community.”
John, who is responsible for the delivery
of chaplaincy services across the Force, has
been congratulated by Chief Constable Dave
Thompson who said: “John has been a
brilliant chaplain drawing in many faiths to
provide guidance and pastoral support to
our Force. He has made our chaplaincy
hugely supportive of the work of WMP. The
medal is richly deserved and huge
congratulations to him.”
John spent seven years as a Force
volunteer chaplain – after 10 years devoting
time to the Met – before joining the Force as
the chaplaincy lead in 2009.
He is available along with the voluntary
chaplains to provide friendship and pastoral
care to everyone in West Midlands Police.
The chaplaincy offers another strand of help
alongside all the other individuals and
departments that provide help,
encouragement and welfare within the
Force.
“We endeavour to get to know staff
through ordinary situations as well as in
times of crisis. From time to time, as well as
accompanying officers and staff on their
duties, we may attend NPU and
departmental meetings, award ceremonies
and other social events,” John explains.
Under his guidance, the chaplaincy team
has developed from just a handful of
volunteer chaplains to more than 60
representing all six major faiths. There also
20 faith advisers covering all the major
faiths.
The chaplains – who collectively
volunteer thousands of hours a year –
perform an important pastoral role,
supporting staff and officers at times of
stress, concern or crisis.
But they also provide support for the
Force around day to day business, helping
with neighbourhood police networking and
providing faith diversity training for officers
and new recruits.
Honoured by the Queen, the Rev John Butcher.
John and his wife, Angela, have two
he Force’s multi faith lead chaplain informed he would receive the honour children and live in New Oscott. He is
has spoken of his joy and immense which is given for outstanding military or associate minister at Hockley’s Life
Tpride after being awarded the British civil service. Community Church alongside his wife.
Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday “It came as a huge surprise. When the He comes from Rotherham in South
Honours List. letter arrived I had to ask my wife ‘am I Yorkshire and was the fleet parts manager
And the Rev John Butcher has also reading this correctly?’ I couldn’t believe for the Ford main dealer in Sheffield where
admitted a sense of disbelief when he was what was written in the letter,” he says. he had worked his way up from being an
18 federation June/July 2019 www.polfed.org/westmids
