Policing with the Community Rewarded

I was absolutely delighted to have attended the eighth annual Policing with the Community Awards earlier today.

The awards have been developed by the Police Service in partnership with the Northern Ireland Policing Board and many of the nominations come form the community. I am also very grateful to our sponsors Deloitte, Tesco, Aramark, Fujitsu, Grafton ESP, Sodexo and the Northern Bank.

The aim is to publicly recognise and reward outstanding problem-solving while highlighting the benefits of policing in partnership with local communities. They also seek to celebrate the important contribution that police staff make towards creating a safer Northern Ireland.

This year’s recipients were:-

• Probationer of the Year - Constable Lee Tavinder, F District, Cookstown Area
• Neighbourhood Policing Team of the Year - G District, City Centre Neighbourhood Team
• Diversity in Action Award – B District, Community Safety Team for their Tension Monitoring Group
• Problem Solving in Partnership Award- Organised Crime Branch, Operation Tarros
• Police Officer of the Year – Sergeant John Hughes, Operational Support Department, Armed Response Unit
• Police Staff member of the Year Award – Sharon Anderson, E District, Newry and Mourne Area
• Police Staff Lifetime Achievement – Tina Broderick, F District, Omagh Area
• Police Lifetime Achievement – Constable Derek Friel, F District, Fermanagh Area

The officers and staff who have been rewarded are members of your police service. These are the people who day and daily go the extra mile to ensure that you receive a personal, professional and protective policing service in some of the most challenging circumstances experienced anywhere in the UK.

Some of the examples provided for consideration ranged from a probationer constable who in a very short period of time has made a real difference in the local community; and neighbourhood policing and community safety teams who have grasped issues important to the local community and made a difference.

Other examples included operations against criminality in Money Service Bureaus, resulting in 27 arrests, the recovery of laundered fuel, smuggled cigarettes and seizure of over £1million in cash and drugs valued at £1.75m; a staff member who has dedicated 34 years to supporting front line policing and one who has been instrumental in improving contact management; a Sergeant who has an outstanding record in crime prevention and detection and a Constable who has given 25 years to proactively supporting the local community in Fermanagh.

We are very fortunate to have so many great police officers and staff members and the standard of nominations is always very high, making it extremely difficult to decide on the final winner in each category. There are so many who are worthy of recognition in this way.

I am very proud of all the officers and staff in the Police Service of Northern Ireland who work tirelessly day and daily to deliver a policing service, but especially proud of those who received recognition today. I know that many of you will join with me in offering them your congratulations.

Today is an opportunity for them to celebrate their success but tomorrow each of them will be back, doing what they do best, delivering a police service in your community.