UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 16 JULY 2018
A police officer who runs an initiative to keep youngsters away from crime is to receive an honorary degree from Birmingham City University next week.
PC Rob Pedley MBE has served with West Midlands Police for over 23 years and diverts young people away from violent crime through the ‘Precious Lives’ project, which has reached more than 200,000 teenagers across the region.
Rob set up the initiative in 2010 after being paralysed during a snowboarding trip and upon realising how precious life is.
“My day-to-day work puts me in schools across the West Midlands highlighting the real life consequences of the choices people make, particularly around knife crime”, said Rob, who hails from Solihull.
With a focus on knife, gun and gang crime, Rob’s motivational presentations led to him being awarded an MBE in Her Majesty’s 90th Birthday Honours in 2016 for services to the West Midlands community.
“It came as quite a surprise when I discovered that I was to receive an honorary degree from Birmingham City University and I feel really honoured to have been recognised in this way”, added Rob.
Rob will receive his award on the afternoon of Friday 27 July alongside students graduating from Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences.
In the same ceremony, Eileen Schofield will be named as one of the University’s Alumni of the Year, in recognition of her successful career in the legal sector.