Dining at Maesdu Golf Club, Llandudno LL30 1HU - speaker at 7.45pm

Steve Martin QGM Biography

Steve was born on Wirral, Merseyside. At sixteen he joined the

Metropolitan Police, London as a cadet. Following his two-year

cadetship, he undertook police training at Hendon training school

and was posted to Hornsey Division, North London in 1984.

Less than a year into his probation, Steve was involved in the most

serious public disorder on mainland Britain at the Broadwater Farm

housing estate in Tottenham. He was part of a police serial,

protecting a group of firefighters deployed to a fire on the state, on

arrival they were surrounded by hundreds of rioters and came under

an extremely volatile attack. One of his colleagues, Keith Blakelock

was stabbed to death by a mob that surrounded him as he fell. Steve

and his colleagues fought the mob back, in an attempt to save Keith,

but he died at the scene. As a result of his actions on that night,

Steve and his colleagues were awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal

by her majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Steve talks about

the years of recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder and how

he overcame the difficulties that ‘survivor guilt’ brought.

Years later Steve moved back to the Wirral, joining Merseyside police

where he continued his career as a police dog handler. He went on to

become a Home Office approved trainer, specialising in explosive

detection and counter terrorist searching.

Now retired, Steve spends his time volunteering and undertaking

some part time work at Liverpool Football Club and as a Senior

Marriage Officer.

Steve has only recently started to speak publicly about these events

and hopes his story will help to keep the memory of his colleague

Keith alive. He speaks of incredible leadership and of how

opportunity can follow adversity; he hopes that it will inspire those

who listen.