After more than 29 years of dedicated service, PC Gareth Holmes retired, making him one of the first to receive an extra special gift, especially for members of the South Wales Group Insurance Scheme.
Gareth was presented with the slate, which is eligible for any member of the Group Insurance Scheme – police staff, as well as officers of all ranks, roles and departments – as long as they have 20 years of service and a minimum of five years’ membership in the GIS.
The slate pieces have been developed in partnership with ‘The Slate House’, a local business specialising in authentic Welsh slate – a material chosen not only for its local significance but also for what it represents: strength, longevity, and a deep connection to the community.
PC Gareth Holmes (left) receives the award from branch secretary Mike George
“I feel very privileged to be one of the first to receive the slate,” said 55-year-old Gareth, who joined the police at the age of 27 with a clear motivation.
“I always wanted to do it. I just wanted to make a difference,” said Gareth, who credits retired Detective Inspector Sue Sidford, who tutored him early in his career.
“She shaped me as an officer by pushing me to gain experience and confidence. I’ll always be grateful to her.”
Frontline policing
Nearly three decades later, Gareth’s ambition has taken him through frontline policing, specialist operational roles and intelligence work, as well as deployments to major national and international incidents.
A Barry boy through and through, Gareth spent the first seven years of his service on response in the town where he grew up, including a short period covering the rural Vale. The role was fast-paced and demanding, providing valuable early experience.
His proactive style quickly stood out, and he was headhunted into the Neighbourhood Policing Team, where supervisors specifically sought officers who would take initiative and drive community-focused policing.
Gareth went on to spend 18 years in neighbourhood policing, a role that allowed him to work closely with the community he grew up in.
He continued: “Making a difference to my own community was always important to me. Being recognised for good work, even in small ways, meant a lot.”
During this time, he developed several specialist skills, most notably qualifying as a Licensed Search Officer. The role involved searching for evidence at major crime scenes, assisting missing person enquiries and carrying out specialist searches at high-profile events and security operations. Gareth later passed on his experience by training other officers, teaching them how to identify hidden or overlooked spaces where vital evidence might be found.
In the early noughties, Gareth joined the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Team. The role involved supporting investigations involving fatalities, most commonly traffic collisions, and required officers to work in extremely difficult circumstances.
Career
One of the most significant moments of his career came in 2005, when he deployed to Thailand following the Boxing Day tsunami. After volunteering, Gareth spent three weeks assisting with the recovery and identification of bodies in temporary mortuaries.
“It was horrific, but I was proud to be part of helping bring closure to families.” The work was featured in the BBC Horizon documentary Tsunami: Naming the Dead, which highlighted the scale and importance of DVI operations.
Alongside his neighbourhood and specialist roles, Gareth joined the Police Support Unit (PSU) in 2006 and served for ten years.
During that time, he policed major national and international events, including the London Riots, Champions League fixtures, NATO and G8 summits, as well as royal and military events, often as part of specialist search teams. Gareth was also uniquely ‘triple trained’, maintaining PSU, search and neighbourhood policing responsibilities simultaneously.
Not all of Gareth’s defining moments involved large-scale operations. He recalls one of his first arrests involving a person experiencing a severe mental health crisis, which opened his eyes to the breadth of policing responsibilities.
Intelligence
Four years ago, Gareth moved to Cardiff and Vale Intelligence, using his operational knowledge to assess threats, risks, and harms while working closely with partner agencies. While he originally intended to spend his entire career on frontline duties, he recognised the need for change after 25 years on the streets.
So what does retirement look like for Gareth? Spending time with his family, including his wife Nicola, who also serves within South Wales Police. Together they have one son, Harri, aged 14, and Gareth is step-father to Chloe and Jamie, both in their twenties, and have children of their own that will no doubt keep him busy.
Gareth plans to take time to travel, attend music concerts and complete home improvements.
Reflecting on his career, Gareth remains modest: “I don’t like bragging about what I’ve done,” he said. “But taking away all the politics, policing is one of the best careers you could ever have. The variety is incredible. I’ve been lucky to experience so much and work with so many great teams.”
If you know someone – of any rank, role or department – who is eligible for a retirement slate, please get in touch with the GIS. If you are not already a member of the GIS and would like more information on joining, then visit the GIS page on our website.
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