IDENTICAL twins who are special policemen in their spare time were awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours.

Special Constable Adam Parsons, who lives in Woking, and Special Sergeant Toby Parsons, from London, work for the Metropolitan Police.

They were honoured for the “boundless hours, averaging 500 per year” they have devoted to policing on top of their day jobs since joining the force in 1990.

Both have worked as 999 response officers and at Heathrow Airport but went back to being based in Kensington and Chelsea after the commander asked for them to be returned to his team.

The duo are both security experts and have also worked with the counter-terrorism focus desk to develop plans for large-scale events. This includes acting as ground command annually for the past 25 years at London’s Remembrance Sunday parade.

They have also used their previous experiences in the military to create bespoke training on improvised explosive devices.

They both volunteered to drive ambulances during the coronavirus pandemic and plan to retire from policing at the end of this year.

Get the 6 January edition of the newspaper – in shops tomorrow – for all the news of the local people who appeared in the New Year Honours list