March 06, 2020 - 1730 views
North Wales Police has recognised police officers, staff and volunteers for their exceptional contribution to policing at the annual awards ceremony.
Sponsored by the North Wales Police Federation and UNISON, the ceremony was held at the St George Hotel in Llandudno and saw a total of 16 awards being presented to recipients in the company of distinguished guests, senior officers, family and friends.
Amongst the winners were officers being recognised for their bravery, investigations relating to trafficking and serious sexual offences, an innovation award and volunteers being recognised for their commitment and duty to the force.
Police and Crime Commissioner’s Award
The Police and Crime Commissioner’s Award was awarded to Operation Lenten – a joint investigation between North Wales Police and Flintshire Council Social Services who have worked with victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Since its inception in 2014 over 50 suspects have been arrested from all parts of the United Kingdom and charges have been brought against numerous individuals for various offences.
One case, which saw two men being sentenced to over 14 years imprisonment each brought recognition and gratitude from the Trial Judge and the victims and was recognised by the National Crime Agency as a gold standard investigation with the Operation Lenten team contributing nationally as an example of best practice in England and Wales.
High Sheriffs Cadet of the Year Award
The youngest recipient of an award was Volunteer Police Cadet Eve Perring who was awarded with the High Sheriffs Cadet of the Year award.
Eve joined the North Wales Police Cadets in September 2016 and since this time has carried out over 107 tours of duty totalling 279 hours.
Her dedication truly demonstrates the purpose of the cadet scheme, which is to encourage the spirit of good citizenship. Some of the duties and events that Eve has been involved with includes Remembrance Day parades, crime reduction initiatives and charity and community events.
Chief Constable’s Cup
Anglesey-based officer, PC Lee Starkie was awarded the Chief Constable’s Cup, which is awarded to the Probationer Constable who has shown the most individual progress during their two year probationary period and PCSO Ivan Nattrass was awarded Police Community Support Officer of the Year due to his outstanding commitment and dedication to the community of Rhyl town centre, where he has been based for the last 15 years.
Citizen in Policing Awards
The Citizen in Policing Award was awarded to Helen Lacey, North Wales Police’s Horse Watch Coordinator. Helen has volunteered with the force over the last eight years and has been invaluable in providing advice to officers and staff. She has also developed a security packs which she provides to members of the agriculture community, with the main aim of reducing the theft of trailers and horseboxes.
Welsh Language Award
The Welsh Language Award was presented to Rhyl-based officer, PC John Dickie who transferred to North Wales Police in May 2018.
Originally from Wolverhampton PC Dickie has been committed to learning the Welsh language, and his willingness to learn and immerse himself in the Welsh language culture has amazed his peers. He has since attended both the level three and four courses, even committing to a weekly evening course in his own time.
UNISON Award
Eileen Price, North Wales Police’s UNISON Branch Secretary was awarded this year’s UNISON award for her continued commitment ensuring members receive the support they require.
Eileen joined North Wales Police in 1983 undertaking numerous roles including Communications Operator, Front Desk Clerk and Supervisor in the Administration of Justice department and has worked for UNISON since 2008, taking over as Branch Secretary in 2010.
Quality of Service Award
The Quality of Service Award was presented to Delyth Jones from the Corporate Communications Team for her work with the force’s presence at major events, being lead organiser for the North Wales Police Open Day and for her ongoing work with force campaigns and social media.
Fletcher Award for Bravery
The Fletcher Award for bravery was awarded to PC Matt Reynolds and his colleague from the Armed Alliance Unit, for safely apprehending a violent armed man who was suspected of sexually assaulting a female.
Diversity Award
Sergeant Liam Jo of the Roads Policing Unit was presented with the Diversity Award for his contribution towards supporting and encouraging diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Sgt Ho is now the Chairperson of the Black and Asian Police Association (BAPA) and as a direct result of his influence, North Wales Police will host a national BAPA meeting later this month.
Team of the Year Award
The Team of the Year award was given to an operation made of the Surveillance Unit, Serious and Organised Crime Unit, Telecomms Analyst and Crown Prosecution Service for their ongoing work with County Lines.
Tom Parry Award for Innovation
The Tom Parry Award for Innovation was presented to an officer from the Roads Policing Unit for his ongoing work with Operation Confine – an operation aimed at targeting criminal and their use of vehicles by utilising road traffic and fraud legislation, the combination of which cause their vehicle insurance policies to be cancelled or voided, often providing opportunities to arrest force targets.
Detective Shield
Detective Constable Gareth Hughes was the recipient of the Detective Shield for his work with the Protection of Vulnerable People Unit as a Child Abuse Investigator. As a result of his skilful interview techniques he has enabled children to open up about their experiences and is regularly praised by his colleagues in Social Services on how well he communicates with children and puts them at ease.
Tackling Exploitation Award
PC Mike Taggart was presented with the Tackling Exploitation Award for his continued commitment of driving the message of Domestic Abuse to a whole new level, locally, regionally and nationally. He has developed an extensive network of contacts with charities and organisations to raise the profile of domestic abuse, working on initiatives such as the ‘Would you make the cut’ roadshow which was presented by him to the hair and beauty industry.
PC Taggart also recently attended the Senedd at Cardiff Bay as a key note speaker at the National Women’s Institute where he shared a stage with Assembly Member Jack Sargeant.
Leadership Award
Sergeant Bethan Jones won the Leadership Award for her work with the Central Community Safety Team based at St Asaph. Sgt Jones has been described as always leading from the front and initiating new work-streams designed to improve performance and reduce unnecessary demand. Recent examples include the ongoing joint work with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which led to her winning the Problem Orientated Partnership Award in 2018.
Chief Constable’s Gold Award
The final award of the evening was the Chief Constable’s Gold Award winner which was presented to the Force’s Physical Training Instructor, Joy Tipton due to her outstanding commitment to her role and for supporting many others in the force.
Joy has been an employee of the Force for almost 32 years and has held a variety of roles prior to her current position. Within her role she provides fitness training inputs to new recruits, fitness testing with applicants and support officers and staff. She is described as a ‘people person’ and in addition to her core role she is also a Diversity Champion, Mental Health Peer Supporter, Maternity, Adoption and Paternity supporter, a Force Wellbeing Champion and a Critical Incident De-briefer.
During her nominations she was described as being ‘well respected and thought of by student officers and an asset to the training department.
Chief Constable Carl Foulkes said: “Our colleagues continue to do exceptional things and it is important that we recognise and thank those who make a real difference in their communities.
“Evening such as the Force Awards provide inspiration to others and make me proud to be part of North Wales Police. The awards presented recognised just a small selection of the excellent work, achievement and dedication to duty that our officers, staff and volunteers do on a daily basis, often unseen and unheralded.
“Policing is an incredibly difficult job; it places exceptional demands and expectations upon our staff. The world we police is also becoming ever more complex, requiring ever-increasing levels of innovation, discretion and problem solving.
“The dedication, bravery and professionalism I see on a daily basis never fails to fill me with admiration and it was a great honour to present some of these well-deserved awards.”
