A KENT police inspector who helped capture and convict M25 murderer Kenneth Noye has spoken of her delight after winning a lifetime achievement award.

Det Insp Jacqui Luckhurst now leads a team of officers in Medway working on gathering intelligence.

She overcame competition from other officers throughout the UK to become only the third person to win the Lifetime Achievement in Policing award given by Jane’s Police Review magazine.

Det Insp Luckhurst has worked with Kent Police for 29 years and served in Medway for six.

She overcame tremendous discrimination during her early years with the force, once being told by a manager that she wouldn’t be allowed into the motorcycle police section as “women can’t ride bikes”.

But speaking after the awards ceremony in London, Det Insp Luckhurst, 48, said: “It felt a bit like the Oscars.

"The standard of all the other nominations and listening to what they had achieved in the careers as police officers was amazing and it got to the point where I was thinking 'what am I doing here’ because the competition was so great. It feels better than great to have won."

Det Insp Luckhurst was on the team that tracked down Kenneth Noye to Spain after the road rage murder of Stephen Cameron on the M25 near Swanley.

Chief Insp Peter Wedlake nominated Det Insp Luckhurst for the award. He said: “We nominated Jacqui because of her total commitment and enthusiasm for the job and she’s a real role model for other officers in Kent Police.

“She’s broken down barriers that faced female officers 30 years ago when she joined.”

Mr Wedlake also praised Det Insp Luckhurst’s flair and passion for crime and investigation.