BTP officer awarded MBE

A “universally admired” officer who dedicated his working life to serving and helping others has been recognised with an MBE in tonight’s New Year’s Honours List.

Nigel “Nobby” Goodband joined BTP in 1991, after eight years with the 1^st Battalion Irish Guards.

During his time with BTP, Nigel embarked on a career of disrupting serious and organised crime across the rail network, working across CID and the National Intelligence arena.

He received a commendation from the coroner for his work on the Greyrigg train crash and led the first ever court contested murder investigation for BTP.

Alongside his operational accomplishments, Nigel also worked tirelessly to represent BTP officers as an elected representative of the BTP Federation.

In 2016, he was named national chair of the BTP Federation and became the face of the organisation internally, externally, nationally and internationally.

Under his tenure, huge change was brought about – including a new constitution, broader voting rights, the Federation Awards of Excellence and he successfully negotiated across a wide range of complex and emotive areas.

His citation for the honour reads: “His down to earth style, humour, impressive knowledge, trailblazing operational accomplishments, steadfast sense of justice, permanent smile and ability to somehow find time for everybody, leads him to be universally admired.”

Nigel stepped down as chair earlier this year.

On receiving this honour, Nigel said: “Wow, I am speechless (which is unusual for me) - nonetheless honoured and very proud to be receiving such recognition from His Majesty King Charles III.

“Policing for me has genuinely been a job like no other and I have worked with some of the very best officers and staff that a police service can offer.

“I suspect without their dedication to duty, support, and courage my efforts would not have been recognised in this fashion. So, I am extremely grateful to all those officers and staff members that I worked with over the years, and I would like to say a very big thank you to them all.

“I would also like to thank whoever nominated me for the MBE, I cannot put into words what this honour means to me and my family.

“I am so proud of my time served in both the British Army and in British Transport Police and to receive this honour from HM King Charles III is unquestionably the highlight of my career.”

Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi said: “Nobby served a trailblazing career with BTP, which included investigating the force’s first ever court-contested murder case and establishing a model for investigating major incidents alongside our partners.

“Alongside those incredible achievements, he worked tirelessly to represent BTP officers through the BTP Federation and was elected national chair in 2016.

“Nobby dedicated his working life to serving and helping others, bringing about change and supporting everyone who needed assistance, advice or support. He should be very proud of this honour and we are very proud of him.”