Police officers and staff at Suffolk Constabulary, and others who support their work, were recognised at a ceremony last week.
Suffolk High Sheriff Geoffrey Probert and the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore joined Chief Constable Gareth Wilson for the event, which was held at Suffolk New College on Wednesday, June 14.
The Sue Poole Award, sponsored by the family of Sue Poole in her memory after her tragic death in 2010, was awarded to Christine Laughlin, who has been volunteering with Lighthouse Women’s Aid since October 2013.
The Cheryl Lloyd Award, presented in memory of Cheryl, who lost her life on duty in June 2005, was awarded to Sergeant Keith Grant, who has been training special constables in the Mildenhall area for more than 10 years.
The Nishan Wijeratne Award, presented in memory of Nishan, a senior press officer with the constabulary who sadly died nearly two years ago, to Chief Inspector Matt Rose in recognition of his work to foster good media relations and public engagement.
The Sheepshanks Trophy – presented to the constabulary in 1992 by the late captain Robin Sheepshanks OBE – was awarded to PCSO David Harvey from the Stowmarket Safer Neighbourhood Team. He was recognised for his contribution over the past year with young people.
The Agnes Chaplin Trophy was won by PC Christopher Squirrel and police dog Daley for their successful and pro-active year including an incident in February 2017 where they were tracked two offenders from the scene of an attempted break-in.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Victim Satisfaction, sponsored by Archant, was presented to DC Elizabeth Seager for her work in a complex sexual abuse case, which saw the offender jailes for 26 years.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Tackling Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour was presented to Sgt Rob Meen, PC Jon France and their team in Lowestoft who have been conducting work to deal with anti-social behaviour.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Leadership was presented to Sgt Julian Ditcham of the roads policing team.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Teamwork was presented to Suffolk serious collision investigation team, who provide a 24/7 response to fatal and life-changing road traffic collisions.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Innovation was awarded to PCSOs Justin Berry and Ben Wilding of the Ipswich Central Safer Neighbourhood Team. The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Police Support Volunteers was presented to the Suffolk Constabulary Museum team, the volunteers responsible for upkeep of the museum at police headquarters.
The Proud to Serve Suffolk Award for Police Cadets was won by Amy Laidler, who joined Martlesham Police Cadet Unit in January 2014. Amy was praised for her progress, her professionalism and her compassion.
Chief Constable Gareth Wilson said: “Individually we heard remarkable examples of service and dedication. It is important that staff from all areas of the organisation are recognised for their hard work and support, and I would like to thank everyone for their continued commitment to serving our communities.”
Tim Passmore, PCC for Suffolk, said: “These annual awards recognise that there are many remarkable people working within the constabulary – as officers, specials, staff and volunteers.
“Each year we see fantastic examples of service and dedication in the county and I am very pleased to be involved in this ceremony to celebrate the good work of those who have gone the extra mile to provide exceptional service. I congratulate them all on their success.”
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