'Speechless' head of prosecutions for Northamptonshire Police 'delighted' to be awarded BEM

The head of prosecutions for Northamptonshire Police has become the first woman in the force to be awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).

Mandy Rowlatt was named in the inaugural King’s Birthday Honours list, which was released on Friday (June 16).

Mandy, who has worked for Northamptonshire Police for 13 years, said: “I feel completely overwhelmed. Speechless, stunned, but thrilled as well. I'm just delighted and completely honoured.

"But although it’s me receiving it, I wanted to receive it as part of and on behalf of the force as well because it isn't just me that's delivering all this brilliant work.

"We're first in the country for file quality and that's testimony to my staff in Criminal Justice. While I am leading the department, they are each individually doing all the really hard work.”

Mandy began her career in the Home Office as a paralegal for the CPS.

She sat behind barristers in crown court for a number of years, then in around 1992, she was selected by the CPS to undertake legal training. Having completed that successfully she became an associate prosecutor for the CPS for more than two decades.

“I think I'm successful at what I do because I enjoy what I do. It is a vocation for me rather than a career. It really is all I know,” Mandy added.

“Victims have always been my main focus and this stems from my early days in the CPS and two particularly harrowing cases I worked on. I always ask myself, ‘how can we as a department ensure swift and positive outcomes for victims’ – they are the centre of my decision making.”

Mandy was seconded to Northamptonshire Police while simultaneously still prosecuting. When the CPS decided they were going to close their Northampton office, Mandy opted to take voluntary early redundancy, aged 42. She then continued her career with Northamptonshire Police, working her way up the career ladder to become head of prosecutions.

Following the news that she had received a BEM, Mandy framed and wrapped the letter from the Cabinet Office and invited her family to open it. She says her parents were “overwhelmed, very emotional, but also very proud”.

Mandy also added that some police officers now feel they have to call her Ma’am, out of respect, but she says she always corrects them and tells them to call her Mandy.

Mrs Andreena Monteith, Mandy’s mother, added: “She was always going to be somebody. When I was sick in hospital, she would visit and start to recommend changes and how to do things differently as part of my treatment, discussing these with the nursing staff and doctors.

"That’s the way she is, trying to improve things all the time. I’m really proud of her.”

John Rowlatt, who is part of the force’s estates and facilities team and Mandy’s husband, said: “She makes the occasional joke that now I’ll have to open the car door for her, but Mandy really is humble and recognises the help from her family through the years that allowed her to make the amazing progress she has. She never thought she would end up with this kind of honour.”