North's DPP is awarded knighthood in list

The Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland, Mr Alasdair Fraser, has been awarded a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth…

The Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland, Mr Alasdair Fraser, has been awarded a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth's New Year Honours List. He is one of 70 Northern Ireland people to be included on the list.

Sir Alasdair, from Belfast, was appointed DPP in 1989, the same year he was made a Queen's Counsel. He was called to the Bar in 1970 and has served in the DPP's office since 1973.

Eight RUC officers have been recognised, including an officer who led a team to recover bodies after the Omagh bomb.

Those honoured include Constable Billy O'Flaherty, who returned to duty after losing an arm and a leg in a landmine attack 11 years ago. Constable O'Flaherty (40), who has been awarded an MBE, is now a member of the RUC's community affairs team in Ballymena, Co Antrim.

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Det Supt John Middlemiss, who has just completed a year in Kosovo as regional commander of the Pristina UN Police, is one of four officers to be awarded the Queen's Police Medal. After the Omagh bomb he led a specialist body recovery and identification team which enabled families to bury the remains of their loved ones.

Mr Middlemiss (57) transferred to the RUC in 1980 from the Metropolitan Police. He was one of the founding members of the Serious Crime Squad.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan McQuillan (45), the head of the RUC's Operations Department, has been awarded an OBE. Mr McQuillan was the first graduate entrant to join the RUC under its accelerated promotion scheme and rose swiftly through the ranks after joining in 1976.

Four people from the North have been awarded CBEs in this year's list. They include Mr William Glass, the director of regional planning in the Department of Regional Development. He is responsible for the plan for the development of Northern Ireland, the Regional Strategic Framework 2025.

The other CBEs went to Ms Rosemary Hamilton, director of the Open University in Ireland; Ms Judith Hill, chief nursing officer at the Department of Health; and Mr Thomas Logan, the Collector in HM Customs and Excise.

The former president of the Irish Rugby Football Union, Mr Ken Reid, has been awarded an OBE for his service to sport. A former headmaster of Grosvenor High School in Belfast, he was also chairman of the Northern Ireland Sports Forum.

The growing influence of the Chinese community in Northern Ireland has been recognised with the award of an OBE to Mr Shek-Yung Lee, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Welfare Association since 1992. The CCC now has a membership of 200 businesses and runs a language school in Belfast, providing an opportunity for 180 Chinese children to learn Chinese.

Another person awarded an OBE is an eminent cancer specialist, Prof Roy Spence. He was honoured for his services to the Police Authority.

Mr Robert Ferris, chairman of the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority, was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to the fishing industry.

Mr Ferris, from Islandmagee, Co Antrim, owns and runs a shipping, warehousing and stevedoring business at Belfast Harbour and is a prominent member of the Mission to Seamen.

Local politicians honoured in recognition of their public service include Ms Joan Baird, the former chairwoman of Ban bridge District Council, and Ms Joan Drummond, former mayor of Larne. Both were awarded MBEs.