A customs officer who was killed during a drugs raid is among 53 public servants who have been awarded the Elizabeth Emblem today.
Peter Bennett, a higher executive officer at HM Customs and Excise, was shot dead on 19 October 1979 by gangster Lennie Watkins, who had been driving a lorry filled with £2.5m of cannabis.
Bennett, who was part of the department’s Investigation Division in Leeds, was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1981 in recognition of his brave conduct. The award and Bennett’s heroics are detailed in the 1 October 1981 edition of The London Gazette, one of the UK’s official journals of public record.
The commendation in The Gazette says a surveillance operation was "mounted" in London following a "protracted investigation into the importation of cannabis resin".
It says Bennett and detective sergeant John Harvey of Hampshire Constabulary were instructed to arrest the driver of a container vehicle which was suspected of carrying the cannabis.
After patrolling the streets in a car driven by Bennett they saw the driver of the container who had become suspicious, abandoned his vehicle and was on foot. Bennett quickly stopped the car on the opposite side of the road while Harvey informed his control that they had located the suspect. Both men immediately left the car and ran through busy traffic.
John Edward Moseley, another detective sergeant who was also in the near vicinity, was alerted and aware that they intended to arrest the man. As they reached the man and told him he was under arrest, Harvey took hold of his left arm and Bennett seized his right arm.
During the extremely violent struggle that ensued, Harvey attempted to handcuff the man who managed to break away; as the officer grabbed at him again the suspect was seen to put his right hand inside the chest pocket of his coat. Bennett immediately tried to prevent this by seizing the man's right arm, whereupon he was shot in the chest, fell to the ground and died shortly afterwards.
The gunman ran off pursued by Harvey who, within a short distance, brought him down with a rugby tackle. At the same time Moseley arrived on the scene and jumped on the man's back as he twisted his body and threatened to use the gun on Harvey; a second shot was fired and the gunman was superficially wounded by the shot he had intended for Harvey.
The officers were then joined by other members of the surveillance team. With their assistance, the violently struggling gunman was finally overpowered and arrested.
The commendation said “a high order of gallantry and devotion to duty was displayed by these three individuals during the events leading to the disarming and eventual arrest of the gunman”. It said Bennett and Harvey did not hesitate when, unarmed, they fearlessly tackled this armed and dangerous man who later shot and mortally wounded Bennett in cold blood.
It added that Harvey and Moseley, despite witnessing the murder of Bennett, continued their pursuit and finally captured his murderer.
Established in 2024, the Elizabeth Emblem recognises the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives doing their jobs. It is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which is given to members of the armed forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack. The medals are given to the next-of-kin of the public servants awarded the medal. Today's list is the third round of announcements, with the first two tranches coming in November 2024 and July 2025.
The January 2026 list includes six prison officers from the Northern Ireland Prison Service who were killed by the IRA during the Troubles in the late 1970s:
- John Murdie McTier, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 14 December 1978.
- Patrick Mackin, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 3 February 1979.
- Michael Cassidy, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 16 April 1979.
- Edward Donald Jones BEM, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 19 September 1979.
- William Wright, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 3 December 1979.
- William Wilson, Northern Ireland Prison Service. Died 17 December 1979
It also includes David Edmund Black, who was killed by members of the New IRA in 2012. Black, who was shot while travelling to work at HMP Maghaberry, was the first prison officer to be murdered by dissident Irish republicans since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.