Tributes pour in for much-loved York police officer: ‘She was funny, intelligent and a bloody good cop’

Tributes have been pouring in to a police officer who touched the lives of countless people in York.

PC Suzanne Asquith has died four years after being diagnosed with cancer.

She had been a response officer for almost 12 years when the diagnosis put her out of frontline action. But she still wanted to ensure that she remained an active part of North Yorkshire Police.

In 2013 she undertook a project to review the force’s Youth Engagement Programme and look at how it could be developed and expanded. North Yorkshire Police’s Lifestyle Challenge 2013 and Rock Challenge 2014 quickly followed and have run to great success every year since.

Both events have seen hundreds of young people take part from all across the county, from all kinds of backgrounds, and as a result community projects have been completed from beach cleans to drug awareness projects and family fun days to presenting magic shows in residential homes.

Despite having to battle with her health – even at times choosing to work from her hospital bed – Suzanne touched the lives of hundreds of youngsters.

‘An inspiration to us all’

In June she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for her services to policing and to youth engagement in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Before that, Suzanne had won a gold Inspiration Award at the North Yorkshire Police annual awards 2015.

Her award was presented by the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire, Mr Charles Forbes Adam, who described her attitude and achievements as “well and truly an inspiration to us all.”

Mike Stubbs, her first sergeant, led the tributes. He wrote on the North Yorkshire Police Federation Facebook page: “This morning we lost our brilliant, beautiful and brave colleague, PC466 Suzanne Asquith BEM.”

Mike continued:

Others joined to pay their own tributes: