The 24th Livia Award for Professionalism and Service to Justice has been hosted by George and Giulietta Galli-Atkinson, held in memory of their daughter, Livia, at a ceremony in the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster.
The award is endorsed by the Prime Minister, by the Metropolitan Police Service and has the support of local MP Mark Pawsey. It is made annually to an officer in the Roads and Transport Policing Command judged to have provided the most meritorious service to road death investigation, either in a specific case, or sustained through several investigations and who has provided the family of a road crash victim with outstanding commitment. The runner up receives the Livia Highly Commended Certificate, signed by the Prime Minister and by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who is a member of the Livia Award’s external and independent panel of judges which also includes Mark Pawsey MP.
Six candidates were nominated from the Serious Collision Investigation Units of the Metropolitan Police Service Roads & Transport Policing Command, all of whom were interviewed by the independent panel. Presenting the awards were the Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Richard Holden MP, and the Assistant Commissioner for Frontline Policing, Louisa Rolfe OBE. A message of congratulations from the Prime Minister was presented by Mark Pawsey.
The 2022 winner of the Livia Award was PC Stefanie Goodwin. PC Goodwin was deployed as Family Liaison Officer (FLO) in a hit and run case involving the death of a 16-yr old boy. A FLO since 2017, she has shown exceptional consistent devotion to her highly demanding role supporting families throughout their ordeals following a road death or serious injury of a loved one. Alongside the trophy, in his message of congratulation the Prime Minister spoke about her professionalism and remarkable resilience, persistence and sense of duty in the face of initial significant distrust from the affected family who eventually praised her for her role to ensure a satisfactory court outcome.
PC Matthew Ward was the runner up for his work on another tragic hit and run case involving three children, which resulted in the tragic death of one child. PC Ward’s understanding of technology and techniques such as 3D mapping, 3D scanning and drones – with his methodology now used nationwide - helped investigators to reconstruct the collision with precision. His work helped secure a conviction.
Four other officers were nominated for the Livia Award and received the Roads and Transport Policing Commander’s Commendation for dedication and commitment in their roles. They were DC Linda Rothera, PC Dave Young, DS Eddie Coleman & DC Phil Stokes. All were commended for going above and beyond in service of victims of road traffic incidents.
Giulietta and George Galli-Atkinson said after the awards:
“Road fatality and serious injury investigation and FLO work are hard tasks, especially when problems of trust arise. When our daughter, Livia, was killed, aged 16, by a driver who mounted the pavement where she was walking, we were outraged by the leniency of the court but hugely encouraged by the professionalism and caring of our investigation team. So much so that we decided to broaden the scope of our personal thanks to them by establishing the Livia Award for Professionalism and Service to Justice to highlight the little-known work of these specialists, to motivate, encourage, improve professional high standards. We have never been disappointed by their endeavours to show the will to serve and, above all, to do right. They have our gratitude, admiration and support.”
Rugby MP Mark Pawsey added:
“Giulietta & George have done incredible work raising awareness of the need for road safety in memory of their daughter, Livia, and honouring the tireless work of police officers who have to investigate some of these truly harrowing crimes. It has always been very moving to hear the stories of the family and victim support officers who do such important work in bringing dangerous drivers to justice. It is also vital that we recognise their work, which often goes unsung, and each year picking a winner is challenging. However, for her dedication and commitment to supporting the families of victims, PC Stefanie Goodwin was a worthy recipient of the Livia Award in 2022.”
Commander Fiona Mallon QPM, of the Metropolitan Police, commented:
“It was an absolute honour to attend the 2022 Livia Awards on the 16th November at Portcullis House in London. The event seeks to reward those who sustain a moral creed that better serves victims’ families and is evident in the actions of every officer that was nominated. Moral attributes such as courage, resilience, determination and dedication to do the right thing were evident in every case in particular the winner of this years’ award, PC Stefanie Goodwin. It was an inspirational event, and it was a privilege to be there.”