Officers and staff in St Albans given prestigious awards for going above and beyond

Nine St Albans district police officers and staff were presented with prestigious awards for their outstanding achievements by Group Commander Sean Comerford from Herts Fire and Rescue at St Albans police station yesterday (Wednesday 6 December).

The winners were nominated by their colleagues for the annual event. 

St Albans district Chief Inspector Martin Turpin spoke about the recipients outstanding achievements in making St Albans safer. Sean presented the awards with support from former, now retired, Superintendent Ken Townsend, who used to be the St Albans Chief Inspector.

Distinguished local guests including Deputy Lieutenant Akhtar Zaman, Dean of St Albans Jo Kelly-Moore and St Albans Mayor Anthony Rowlands attended with senior officers including Superintendent Anna Wright.

Member of the public Terri Brown was also given a good work minute – recognition usually reserved for police officers and police staff - for helping to save a woman who was attempting to take her own life.  CI Turpin said: “Undoubtedly Terri said just the right thing and ultimately saved her life that day.”

CI Turpin said: “I am so proud of my officers and colleagues who we work with who have gone the extra mile to support victims, made the St Albans district safer, brought offenders before the courts and helped to prevent crime from happening in the first place. I’m lucky to receive daily emails and phone calls recognising the great work my officers do and it is a privilege to be able to congratulate officers and publicly recognise your hard work, with nominations directly from your colleagues.”

The first winner was the 1836 award – the year that the city of St Albans formed a police force, initially consisting of just five officers. This award recognises an officer who has worked incredibly hard, consistently showing commitment and professionalism.  PC Katy Porter was given the top accolade for offering guidance, knowledge and support to her colleagues. She is often the first and last person to attend a scene and always ensures matters are seen through to conclusion.

Winners of the Partnership Award were David Allen and Charlotte Brown from Links Academy. Their partnership work has helped build positive relationships between local young people and the police, as well as identifying and supporting vulnerable young people at risk of criminal exploitation.   

The Leadership Award was given to Detective Inspector Ady Lysak for taking on the CSP CI as well as the DI role, providing strong leadership, direction, clarity and stability at a time of need. DI Lysak balanced significant welfare matters, with high-risk investigations, whilst leading a team of 150 officers and staff. 

The Crime Management Award winner was Detective Constable Krisztina Gulyas for her outstanding detective work. Whilst working on an attempted murder in March this year her knowledge provided support for colleagues and ensured the investigation progressed. She supported her victim throughout the investigation and her evidence at the trial was exemplary. As a result, a man was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for GBH wounding with intent in September.

Greg Foley gives up his free time to help the St Albans Community Safety Partnership to carry out valued work in identifying crime trends and collating crime data for mental health NHS Trust sites, saving operational officers valuable time. He was awarded the Volunteers Award.

The Safer Neighbourhood and Community Safety Officer Award was given to  Rhea Hosey who has organised several multi-agency test purchase operations this year, resulting in two licences being revoked. This is now considered best practice and is being replicated across the county. Rhea also organised a successful Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) event for licensees and partners across the CSP.

PC Sarah Maitland-Lauderdale was the recipient of the St Albans Intervention Office Award, nominated by her colleagues for being an exemplary, hard-working and conscientious officer.  She consistently receives high quality feedback from her colleagues and members of the public on a regular basis.

PC Rob Clemmitt is one of the main contributors to the St Albans Facebook and Twitter accounts proactively keeping the community updated on upcoming events, work being done in the community and especially vehicle seizures.

As a result, he received the first Digital Communication Engagement Award.

Pictured from left: Chief Inspector Martin Turpin, David Allen from Links Academy, Detective Inspector Ady Lysak, Detective Constable Kristie Gulyas, Sergeant Mark Essam (runner up).

Front, from left: PC Katy Porter, Rhea Hosey and PC Sarah Maitland-Launderdale.