Tom Lloyd, Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire police, gave awards to 78 police officers, 39 police staff, 11 members of the public and 21 "outside contracted staff" who were involved in the Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman murder inquiry.
The parents of Holly and Jessica attended the awards ceremony in Cambridge – as did Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
Cambridgeshire officers were criticised for errors which cleared Ian Huntley to work at Soham Village College. They had not asked police in Humberside – where Huntley lived before moving to Soham – for a check into his history.
Humberside was also criticised for deleting files on Huntley, which would have revealed sex attack allegations against him .
An inquiry headed by Sir Michael Bichard found both forces had made serious errors and, in a separate report, Cambridgeshire came under fire for its handling of the early stages of the murder hunt.
Mr Lloyd said: "These tragic events have attracted huge public interest and, sometimes, controversy.
"I understand that and I also understand that it is now right to acknowledge the many people who were deeply affected by, and the many people who contributed to, what was a difficult, demanding and ultimately successful investigation and prosecution."