The Queen returned to Bradford to officially open the new police headquarters - 33 years after she unveiled the previous central police station.

She showed a keen interest in the work of all departments during her tour of Trafalgar House in Nelson Street.

A fanfare of police trumpets greeted her and a crowd of about 100 people of all ages stood outside the police HQ as her cavalcade swept in. Some waved Union flags and others clutched flowers.

The West Yorkshire Police flag was unfurled and replaced by the Royal standard, while police horses Brannan and Dillon, and their riders PCs Joanne Jesson and Sarah Lawson stood guard.

The Queen was introduced by Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police Authority chairman, to senior police officers and civic dignitaries, including the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James.

Bradford South Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Sarah Brown, then took the Queen on a tour of the building, during which she held a private meeting with the widow of former West Yorkshire Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn and handed over a posthumous CBE in recognition of his services.

Mr Cramphorn, 50, died from prostate cancer last November, soon after stepping down from his post. He was notified of the CBE two days before his death.

His widow, Lynn, said the Queen had talked to her sons, Edward, 17, and Iain, 13, about their schooling at Queen Elizabeth Grammar, Wakefield, and she was particularly interested in Edward's plans to study biomedical engineering.

Lynn said: "I feel very, very proud. It was very emotional. We had met the Queen on a number of occasions and she knew of Colin's police career which she described as very interesting.

"She said she was very proud to present the CBE and said it was well deserved. The Queen is such a busy woman. To take the time to do it, and to speak to my sons, and to do it in West Yorkshire, which was very important to Colin, is just lovely. It is just how I wanted it to be."

Before unveiling a plaque to officially open the new headquarters, the Queen watched a demonstration by police dog Simba and his handler PC Ian Worrall of how to catch a suspect.

The Queen then chatted to PC Worrall, who is based at Bradford South, while the Duke of Edinburgh asked Sgt Taylor if it had been painful.

Sgt Worrall said later: "The Queen was impressed with the way the dog went from being placid and well behaved to making the arrest and then back again.

"She asked me lots of questions about the dog and said to the Duke: Wasn't that marvellous?' "The Queen likes dogs but I don't think she's so at home with big dogs. I had to make sure that nothing went wrong, or could have gone wrong, and as I was stood outside waiting for her to arrive I was shivering with fear.

"She was very clever and had done her homework. It is the pinnacle of my career. I feel very privileged."

The Queen and Prince Philip spent several minutes in the intelligence unit chatting to members of the team, including financial investigator Zahira Hussain, intelligence clerks Lucia Lambertino-Davis and Lisa Turner, researcher Louise Rawnsley and senior analyst Sean Mahoney.

Louise, 27, said: "The Queen was very interested in our picture gallery of footwear. If someone is arrested we take photos of their footwear in case they can be linked to other crimes. She wanted to know how we solved the crimes from it."

Sean, 44, said Prince Philip had asked about the difference between burglary and theft and asked "Is it a robbery if you hit them?"

The Royals also spent time in the community safety department, where Inspector Mark Leighton showed Her Majesty a photograph of his daughter presenting her with a posy when she visited the city for the centenary celebrations ten years ago.

She was keen to hear about the work of the architectural liaison officers, who help to make new buildings safer from crime, and chatted with them for several minutes.

One of them, Michael Brooke, said: "I got the impression she wanted to stay longer. They were both really interested in our work."

l Later in the day a man was arrested for possessing an axe only yards from where the Queen was due to begin a walkabout in St George's Square in Huddersfield.