Recognising stars in a force for good
PUBLIC TO VOTE FOR THE POLICE WORKER WHO MAKES IMPACT
Reporter FORGET X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing – there is a public vote happening right on your doorstep.
Northumbria Police want you to vote for your favourite cop or police staff member in the local Pride and Policing Awards taking place this month.
The force is getting ready to host its annual awards that recognise the achievements of officers and staff. But this year, for the first time, they want you to get involved and decide the winner of its ‘Outstanding Contribution’ category.
The awards ceremony recognises a host of dedicated police work across 12 separate categories including; Police Officer of the Year, Police Team of the Year and Volunteer of the Year. And Konica Minolta, Optima Health, Unison, Police Federation, Integral and Eurofins have all sponsored the 2018 event.
The vote is open until midnight on Thursday, September 20, and who scoops the Outstanding Contribution award is up to you. The three nominees to choose from cover a range of great achievements such as; tackling anti-social behaviour and modern day slavery, supporting victims of domestic abuse, improving community confidence and supporting vulnerable people in a local psychiatric unit. The nominees are:
Chief Inspector Jon Bensley has been nominated by his colleagues for his outstanding work in Blyth. He developed the 12 streets initiative, which aims to improve quality of life for residents in Cowpen Quay. Thanks to his efforts, multiple agencies are now working together for the long-term benefit of the community. He was also instrumental in a recent modern day slavery case in Blyth, which saw vulnerable local people being exploited. Together with his team, his commitment to the case saw the offender put behind bars for 8 years.
Neighbourhood Inspector Neil Hall and staff member Allan Brown have been jointly nominated for their work around domestic abuse. They helped to develop the Bright Sky app, which helps those affected by domestic abuse and harassment.
It’s been designed to log incidents of domestic abuse without any content being saved on the device itself, enabling users to record incidents in a secure journal tool. The app provides support and useful steps to consider if leaving an abusive relationship. Neil and Allan were key in bringing together the Vodafone Foundation, who developed the app technology, with Hestia, a domestic abuse charity, to be able to launch the technology nationally.
Police Constable James Desmond was nominated for his work as Hospital Liaison Officer at St Nicholas’ Hospital, a specialist psychiatric unit, over the past 10 years. His regular presence and personable nature has won the confidence of the service users and staff. He’s helped break down barriers and build up trust between the police and hospital patients. He has educated staff and officers, has reduced crime and disorder and dramatically reduced the number of vulnerable people going missing.
Chief Constable Winton Keenen said: “I look forward to these awards every year. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate what is great about policing. Our Outstanding Contribution award acknowledges those who have gone the extra mile in the name of Northumbria Police and in the service of our communities. That is why I’m pleased this year that it is open to the public to decide who the winner is.”
To help the public cast their vote Northumbria Police have made a short film of each nominee and their achievements. You can find all the information and vote here. {www.northumbria.police.uk/pride-inpolicing] The winners will be announced at the ceremony at the end of the month so don’t miss your opportunity to vote. Chief Constable Winton Keenen