Royal reception for Derbyshire

A Derbyshire officer and staff member received a royal welcome at a garden party like no other.

Our most recent Staff Member of the Year, Piyush Gosalia, and Response Police Officer of the Year, Sergeant Liam Kozlowski were nominated to attend two of the Royal Garden Parties hosted over the summer. 

Royal Garden Parties are very special occasions, the first tier of the honours system, and are greatly enjoyed by the staff and stakeholders nominated to attend. 

The Home Office receives a small allocation of places for Home Office staff to attend Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland, as well as an allocation for people working in a stakeholder or partner organisations whose work is part of the Home Office policy responsibilities.

Piyush Gosalia

Piyush was nominated to attend after winning Police Staff Member of the Year in 2023 for his pivotal work in rolling out new software across the force, producing detailed reports with recommendations and research, as well as being a ‘font of all knowledge’ for his colleagues.

The Workplace and Mobility Specialist, who has been with the force for 14 years, started as a student, before transitioning to a contractor and then becoming a permanent member of staff.

Recalling the moment he found out he had been nominated to attend the Royal Garden Party, he said: “I was on holiday in India with my family when I received a message from my line manager. The message stated that I had been invited by the King. Initially, I was shocked and wondered if my manager had intended to send the message to someone else. 

“I hesitated to respond, thinking it couldn’t possibly be meant for me. However, a few minutes later, my manager rang me and confirmed that indeed, I was invited by the King. The news was both surprising and exciting for me, my wife, and our entire family in India. It felt like a tremendous honour to receive such an invitation and was such a special moment to receive this whilst with my family. 

“Receiving an invitation from the King was a significant milestone—one that I’ll always cherish for years to come.

“The Royal Garden Party itself was a remarkable day, and we thoroughly enjoyed Buckingham Palace. We captured numerous photos and videos, spoke to countless people, and relished the special vegan delicacies. 

“The weather was fabulous, and we had the privilege of closely observing the King and Queen and for us, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

“It is even more special that this came after the Celebrating Achievement Awards. These hold profound significance for me as it represents not only a recognition of individual and collective dedication, courage, and excellence but also a reaffirmation of our commitment to public service.”

Sergeant Liam Kozlowski

A couple of weeks later, it was Sergeant Kozlowski’s turn to attend. Liam has been with Derbyshire Constabulary for around seven years and has dedicated his time to Response Policing for all of his career. 

In November, he was named our Response Police Officer of the Year for being a dedicated officer and team player, often staying to help colleagues finalise exhibits and making improvements to how we interact with people suffering with their mental health. In March, Liam was promoted to Sergeant. 

On receiving the Royal Invitation, he said: “I had just come in for an early shift like any other day and noticed I had an email from the Home Office.

“I thought it sounded very official. It said that I had been invited to the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and I didn’t quite believe what I was reading. I actually thought that I’d been mistaken for someone else. It’s not every day you get an invite such as that, a once in a lifetime opportunity for sure.”

“I was given the opportunity to invite a plus-one to bring with me to the event. Having suspected that the invitation might be off the back of my Response Police Officer of the Year award, I thought I would invite the person who nominated me – my previous sergeant, Jack Gibbs. We drove down to London the day before and parked up for the night right next to the Buckingham Palace grounds where we had also booked a hotel for the night. 

“We arrived at the Royal Garden Party the following day and, in true British style, the rain was torrential. We were soaked! There were people from all kinds of different public services in attendance, wearing various uniforms and traditional dress. The grounds were open to walk around an explore, and there was plenty of great food and music, with two military brass bands playing at different areas of the grounds, which was interesting to listen to and not something I had ever seen up close.

“We even helped a lady in front of us and gave her first aid when she became unwell. We were given the opportunity to take pictures both at the rear and front of the palace and, despite not getting to meet or get close to members of the Royal Family, we were able to get a glimpse.

“Thinking about the awards this experience stemmed from, I think that a little bit of recognition for the hard work of frontline officers is something that we should look to give wherever possible. It is a very unforgiving and busy world on response and often officers don’t get time to think and reflect before moving on to the next thing waiting for them. When the thanks does come in, it makes our day and provides a boost which can often be needed."