Former Chief Constable Bill Skelly and serving Assistant Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson have been recognised in the New Year's Honours list and will receive the Queen's Police Medal.

Mr Skelly is described as "a visionary and inspirational leader, driven by a strong sense of justice" and someone who "made a real difference to the communities that he served".

He is commended for investing in the wellbeing of officers and staff at Lincolnshire Police which helps them to deliver the best possible service to county residents.

It is recognised that Mr Skelly developed creative and innovative concepts during his time as Lincolnshire's Chief Constable which included introducing drones to the force which were used to tackle rural crime, help find missing people and, ultimately, keep people safe from harm.

He also introduced new technology to allow police officers to be out-and-about in their communities for longer including an investment in mobile data terminals. This meant that officers no longer needed to return to a police station to record data and instead have all the technology they need at their fingertips. This saw communities benefit from hundreds of extra hours of policing.

At the time of nomination for this honour, ACC Kerrin Wilson was the only female Chief Officer in the UK from an ethnic minority group. She is recognised for "inspiring others to greatness" and "placing diversity at the heart of her work".

ACC Wilson is described as having been "instrumental in developing women and people from minority backgrounds in policing, helping them to realise their potential and reach senior ranks". for working tirelessly to improve gender parity within policing.

Having previously developed networks affiliated to the National Black Police Association (NBPA) at force's in Durham, North Yorkshire and Cleveland, ACC Wilson founded Supporting Minorities in Lincolnshire through Engagement (SMILE) at Lincolnshire Police which is also linked to the national body. This network supports officers and staff from minority groups, celebrates diversity and drives positive change.

Kerrin is commended for co-founding GLOW (Greater Lincolnshire Outstanding Women). This is the voice of strong female leaders from across the public and private sectors of Lincolnshire who have come together as network to celebrate other great women in the County and inspire the next generation of young women and girls to achieve their dreams. Using the motto Be Mighty; Aim High; Dream Big.

ACC Wilson has not only worked tirelessly within policing in the UK to support progress on the diversity agenda for both ethnic minorities and gender equality but also across policing in the USA. Presenting and sharing the learning from the UK with law enforcement colleagues in Pennsylvania and Texas.

As one of only a few women to be trained as an International Hostage Negotiator Kerrin has worked on kidnaps in Syria, the Amenas oil rig siege in Algeria and reviewed the work of negotiators following the Lindt Café terrorist siege in Australia.

Assistant Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson said: "It truly is an honour to receive the Queen's Police Medal and I'm delighted that my work has been recognised in this way."

"This proves that efforts across the country to embrace diversity and ensure equal opportunities for all are being noticed, and its important we continue on this path and continue to grow both within policing, and as a society."

• The Honour's List also included John Mapletoft of Grantham, who received a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for services to Table Tennis.