Two police officers killed after responding to a hoax 999 call are among more than 30 public servants to be honored with a new award.

PCs Nicola Hughes, 23, and Fiona Bone, 32, died in a gun and grenade attack while responding to what they believed to be a burglary in Greater Manchester in 2012.

Their parents Bryn Hughes and Paul Bone, who campaigned for their daughters to be officially recognised, have now both received an Elizabeth badge, which recognizes police officers and other public servants who have died in the line of duty.

Mr Bone, of Pool in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, said every public sector worker who dies in the line of duty “should have the opportunity to be remembered and honoured”.

Mr Hughes said: “I think it’s vitally important, not just for Nicola and Fiona and other police officers, but for all public sector workers who are killed or die in the line of duty or in operational circumstances.”

The honor is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognizes members of the British armed forces who have died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.

Mr Hughes said he had been told by politicians that the award was “long overdue”, adding that “there was an element of surprise that there was nothing else like it”.

Both fathers met the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, on Wednesday. Mr Bone said the meeting was the “icing on the cake” for their campaign.

He said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told them he “couldn’t imagine losing his children”.

He added: “I was kind of like, ‘Well, we didn’t even imagine losing ours, but once it happened, I had to move on.’

The design of the emblem includes a wreath of rosemary, a traditional symbol of remembrance, surrounding a Tudor crown and the inscription “For a life given in service”.

Asked how his daughter would feel about the award, Mr Hughes said: “I know Nicola would be embarrassed.

“I think she would be delighted and proud that this happened to us, but I think she would be ashamed.”

Mr Bone said he wanted his daughters to be remembered as “happy, experienced civil servants”, adding that they “did their job happily, tried to help people – that day everything went wrong”. .

Mr Hughes, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, said his daughter Nicola enjoyed the job.

He added: “Police officers put their lives on the line every day. They don’t know what they’re getting into.

“They don’t know what’s behind that door, and to me that says a lot about what they do every day.”

Ms Hughes and Ms Boneb were shot by Dale Cregan while responding to a 999 call in Hattersley, Greater Manchester. They thought they were at the scene of a burglary. It was later revealed that Cregan had made the call himself.

Also being recognized is Andrew Harper, the police officer who died while responding to a burglary in Berkshire in August 2019.

He was strapped to the back of a car and dragged along a country road just four weeks after he got married.

His widow Lissie Harper received the award.

And the daughter of firefighter Leslie Marsh, of West Midlands Fire Service, will receive the Badge 75 years after he died after falling through a hole in the first floor of a derelict church while responding to a fire on February 7 1949.

Starmer said: “We must never forget those who gave their lives to protect others in the line of duty.

“While families will never be able to replace their loved ones, the Elizabeth Emblem pays tribute to the sacrifice they have made.”

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