Chief Constable's Awards 2023

The constabulary came together yesterday evening (Wednesday 1 November) to celebrate the outstanding and dedicated work of our officers, staff and volunteers.

The Chief Constable’s Awards were held at Tewinbury Hotel in Welwyn with our young volunteer police cadets welcoming finalists and their loved ones.

Chief Constable Charlie Hall was joined by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Liz Green, Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss, along with Deputy Chief Fire Officers Andy Hopcraft from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Addressing the audience on the night, Chief Constable Hall said: “I am delighted that we have had a record number of nominations for awards this evening, almost 150 colleagues were nominated across 14 separate awards categories, with a total of 29 finalists.

“I say to all of you who are here for awards tonight, the fact you have made it here means you are winners regardless of whether you receive the final award on stage tonight or are a runner up. You should feel very proud of what you’ve achieved to be here this evening.”

Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd added: “It is a real privilege and honour to be part of the Chief Constable’s Awards ceremony tonight. Whether you’re a police officer or police staff, going above and beyond seems to come with the job but of course for most people outside of policing putting yourself in harm’s way, working unsociable hours, seeing people at times in their lives when they’re at their lowest point, their most vulnerable, in desperate need of help is not normal to most people.

“It is a job quite unlike any other and you all do so to serve and protect the public, so today on behalf of the public it is my turn, our turn, to say thank you and well done for all that you do day in day out to keep us all safe.”

The winners:

Intervention Officer of the Year:

PC Jake Smith from the Dacorum Intervention Team based in Hemel Hempstead.

Jake has four years’ service as a police constable following on from previous service as a PCSO in Dacorum.

His energy and enthusiasm for his role is second to none, as is his attention to detail and standard of work. He is hardworking, diligent, and committed.

Jake regularly coaches new officers, dedicating a lot of time and effort to each colleague to get them to independent patrol. He puts in extra hours, takes on extra workload and deals with each incident in a way that new officers can learn and progress their knowledge.

 

Since the beginning of 2022, Jake has been awarded a Royal Humane Society Award, Head of Department Commendation, a Good Work Minute and was the Frank Mason Award 2023 runner up.

He has received numerous records of praise from colleagues, external partners and victims of crime. One member of the public, whose son had sadly died, said: “In a time when confidence in the police is at its all-time low, it’s reassuring that there are people who have dedication, compassion and commitment in dealing with incidents of a sensitive nature. Jake is a credit to the force”.

 

Investigator of the Year:

Investigator Richard Staff, based within the constabulary’s Domestic Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Team (DAISU).

Richard has had an exceptional year and has been a huge asset to the unit. He returned to DAISU as a staff investigator last year following his retirement as a police officer a few months beforehand.

Dedicated to safeguarding, Richard has worked with victims and witnesses, some of whom are extremely vulnerable, to ensure confidence in policing is maintained and has achieved convictions in a number of cases.

He also acts as a mentor to new members of the DAISU team.

 

Richard’s knowledge and wealth of experience has been of great benefit to the entire team as well as colleagues from other areas of the constabulary, who have contacted him for advice.

 

Student Officer of the Year:

PC Lukas Haase from the Stevenage Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Lukas has a character that everyone loves. He is helpful, kind and is always the first person to offer to help. He is incredibly professional and passionate about his work and obviously lives and breathes policing. His commitment to the job is exceptional.

Lukas completed his OneFile portfolio in record time and his assessor expressed that he was without question the best student that she had ever assessed.

After Lukas completed a Case Investigation Team (CIT) attachment, the detective sergeant emailed to express what a breath of fresh air he had been and how she would happily work with him again if he ever chose the detective pathway. She described him as an inspiration to his colleagues and mentioned that he takes enthusiasm for policing to a whole new level.

Lukas is also a cadet leader in East Herts, happily spending his own time supporting others.

 

Leadership Excellence of the Year

Inspector Alison Beazley from the constabulary’s Professional Development Unit.

 

Alison is an exceptional individual with outstanding leadership qualities and exemplifies all the skills that a modern leader should have.

She set up the Professional Development Unit leading from scratch, setting up systems, processes and Standard Operating Procedures to enable the team to function effectively.

Having attended many regional meetings, it is clear the team is leading the way in how to effectively manage student officers through their initial stages with the organisation to the end of their probation.

Alison always has time for her team, with regular well-structured meetings, provides support no matter how complex or trivial the issue, provides answers and clear direction. She really excels in every area with welfare at the forefront and proper one to ones.

Such is her leadership that one colleague who was due to retire last year decided to stay within the organisation, despite more lucrative job offers, because they felt the support and leadership offered outweighed any new venture.

 

Tutor Constable of the Year

PC Martin Barringer from the North Herts Safer Neighbourhood Team, based in Hitchin.

 

When the Professional Development Unit was first established, Martin approached the team as he was keen to hit the ground running having just completed his tutor’s course.

Martin navigated the new world of the Detective Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), taking time to ensure he fully understood what was required so that he could give his best to his first student officer from the programme.

He then contacted the student officer prior to his arrival and introduced himself, arranging for him to come and have a look around to get acquainted prior to his first day, which would have no doubt helped ease his first day nerves.

Martin has tutored many students and his dedication to each one of them is described as outstanding.

He is kind, friendly, caring, thoughtful and takes a huge amount of pride in everything he does. He teaches his students how to do things the right way, but also how to enjoy what they do. He also shows them how to talk to people, how to trust and follow their instincts and how to have confidence in their own ability.

Martin is described as a delightful man, a great cop and a phenomenal tutor constable.

 

Excellence in Collaboration:

Inspector Kelly Day from People and Workforce Development.

 

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Inspector Kelly Day is a hardworking, dedicated member of staff who is always happy to get stuck in and roll her sleeves up. She has built up excellent relationships with communities around the county.

Kelly organised and monitored all the Stephen Lawrence memorial events in the county in April, in particular the Watford event, where there was a march and service in the community attended by community leaders and VIPS, all of which went without a glitch.

 

Other events included:

• A community event with Unity of Culture which was hosted in an empty shop within Welwyn Garden City’s Howard Centre.
• Several joint CSP Lunch and Learn events with council partners.
• A presentation to college students in Hitchin about the death of Stephen Laurence and the Macpherson Report.
• A memorial service with police and council representative at Rickmansworth police station.

 

She has worked with colleagues to improve the force’s Race Action Plan and helped the constabulary achieve Menopause Accreditation as an employer. She also delivers diversity training for officers and staff and makes a positive impact wherever she goes.

 

Police Staff of the Year (non-operational):

Fraud Triage Manager Julian Griffiths from the Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit.

Jules is a passionate and knowledgeable member of the force who is always happy to help others with complex fraud questions.

With his enthusiasm and guidance, the force has improved its response to reports of fraud. The constabulary submitted almost 200 judicial outcomes to the Home Office this year which is the highest in the Eastern region and the ninth highest across England and Wales.

The force has also been successful in preventing £881,404 in losses to victims of fraud during 2022/23. Jules is always there to support a banking protocol job and will often drop what he is doing to provide guidance.

He is relentless in his pursuit of bringing offenders to justice and ensuring that we make the right decision for victims at the point of recording.

His role has been heavily praised by the City of London police where he is known to be one of the nicest and most contactable fraud leads.

He is an asset to the constabulary. Not only is he an oracle when it comes to fraud, but you also couldn’t meet a nicer chap!

 

Police Staff of the Year (operational):

Disruption Co-ordinator Danielle Pinn from the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit.

Danielle has shown outstanding partnership working since she joined the unit in a new Disruption Co-ordinator role, intended to bridge the gap between police and partner agencies in tackling modern slavery.

This ensures we all work together to identify and best support victims, while disrupting and prosecuting offenders.

Danielle is approachable, driven and has a real passion for her work.

She has greatly assisted in leading in developing and delivering training across the constabulary and to our partners.

 

Danielle co-ordinates Project Aidant - dedicated periods of targeted activity to tackle modern slavery as set by the National Crime Agency. Throughout the year she has also identified areas vulnerable to harvesting modern slavery victims whether it be by location or type of business. Once identified, Danielle works hard with local policing teams and partners to develop intelligence and co-ordinate multi-agency safeguarding visits.

 

While Danielle is not a police officer, she is competent in identifying and engaging with victims of modern slavery as well as advising others in the best approach to take with potential victims.

She has also been integral in linking in with other policing departments and partners, such as around hotels currently housing asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees to ensure that they understand how to keep themselves safe in this country and reduce opportunities of exploitation.

 

PCSO of the Year:

PCSO Graham Tippett from the Hertsmere Safer Neighbourhood Team, covering Potters Bar.

Graham demonstrates great tenacity when it comes to the apprehension of offenders and keeping the community safe.

He is an approachable and visible presence on the streets of Potters Bar and South Mimms which is proven through the number of people who know him and stop to speak to him when he is out on patrol. This also means he gathers information and intelligence from a range of sources.

In addition to serving his own ward, he also ensures that when other PCSOs are on rest days, their wards are also patrolled.

One example of excellent work was while on foot patrol in the town, a member of public approached Graham providing invaluable intelligence about a locally wanted man. Graham relayed the information to colleagues and the suspect was detained in Met police territory. He had been wanted for more than six months and had committed countless thefts in Potters Bar.

Graham has also been pivotal in a local operation around young people, including a time where he had a foot chase with a 15-year-old boy, who attempted to discard a machete. Graham caught up with him and detained him until other officers arrived.

His evidence was vital in securing a charge of possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Graham has also, on multiple occasions witnessed offences off duty and called 999, getting involved when necessary.

His ability to recognise individuals has led to multiple crime detections and linking of offences, as well as valuable intelligence around associations and sightings of people of interest.

He has great links with partners and school children love his talks for the Mini Police programme. Graham is a great example of the value of PCSOs.

 

Safer Neighbourhood Team Officer of the Year:

PC Amy Hunter from the Stevenage Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Amy is a stand-out example of what Police Now has delivered to policing, and the key role neighbourhood officers play in problem-solving within the community.

She has an unrelenting dedication to victim care, which combined with emotional intelligence and consistent high standards means every interaction Amy has, be it fleeting or over a period of years, leaves that member of the public with a positive impression of the police.

Amy proactively identifies risks to the community and works to an unimpeachable standard, for the benefit of the community, victims and partner agencies.

Over the last two years she has worked to reduce the high number of hoax calls from a mental health unit while also improving the protection of staff working there. Her work has resulted in a 50% reduction in calls and a significant improvement in partnership working, with staff at the unit feeling safer, empowered and supported. Her approach is now being adopted by other areas with similar issues.

Despite a high workload, she is undertaking an information sharing and problem-solving project with the New York Police Department. The aim is to share and improve policing culture and improve police interactions with communities, in which she will understand and work to improve feelings of safety among women and girls during the nighttime economy.

Amy is also seeking to undertake British Sign Language training, to improve engagement with even more communities and driving ongoing school engagement and education under Op Educ8. She is also a Wellbeing Champion offering support to colleagues.

 

Safeguarding Contribution of the Year:

Detective Constable Annette Caveney from the Joint Child Protection and Investigation Team (JCPIT).

Annette has been a detective within safeguarding for 12 years moving from the Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT) to JCPIT in 2016 where she has continued to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our society.

She has fantastic communication skills and has the ability to remain clam in stressful situations.

Annette is one of the only officers in JCPIT history to obtain a charge for a fabricated illness case. She ensured that evidence was gathered in a timely manner resulting in forensic evidence being captured which led to proving the mother of the child had been fabricating her three-year old’s illnesses.

Annette is the officer in charge (OIC) of a case involving a father abusing his two stepchildren over a number of years. After some fast-time investigation, the suspect was charged and remanded. Due to the overwhelming evidence Annette has obtained against the suspect he has pleaded guilty meaning the young victims do not have to go through a trial.

Annette is one of the most hard-working and caring officers. She can be relied upon to get the job done to the gold standard for victims. The number of charges she gets for jobs is incredible – almost every job she touches results in a charge.

 

Special Constabulary Officer of the Year:

Special Sergeant Alex Whittle from the Scorpion Team.

Since taking up his role as Special Sergeant on the Scorpion Team, Alex has provided exceptional leadership to his team and the wider Special Constable Operational Support Teams.

Alex has actively engaged with local CSP Scorpion Teams to involve his team in operations, proactive patrols and the execution of warrants. Recently he was involved in an operation where he uncovered a viable illegal firearm during a search and secured this evidence along with a quantity of drugs. His actions along with the local Scorpion team ensured that these dangerous items were taken out of circulation.

Alex has been involved in the constabulary’s response to Operation Indigo. This is an ongoing multi-agency operation targeting vehicles being used in acquisitive crime, cross-border drug supply, modern slavery, violence against women and girls (VAWG), as well as detecting road traffic offences. He has liaised with counterparts in the Met and coordinated the constabulary’s resources. He has also organised mobile welfare facilities to be on site for operations along the A1M corridor. These operations have resulted in more than 40 vehicle seizures, several arrests and countless road traffic offences being detected and dealt with by the policing teams and partner agencies.

Alex’s work ethic is such that by his example he encourages others within the team to step-up and deliver and this helps the Operational Support Teams to deliver the best possible service to the communities we serve.

 

Team of the Year:

Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT).

The team has worked tirelessly in a high risk and highly demanding area of business.

SOIT is currently ranked first for outcomes in its Most Similar Group (MSG) and ranked fourth nationally for outcomes.

They are a high performing team with high demand. Hertfordshire was one of the first forces in the country to establish a dedicated SOIT and it is evident that it is ahead of its time and seen as best practice nationally to respond to the victims of rape.

The team provides specialist cover seven days a week and is often called upon to provide wider cover across the force and act as an advice mechanism for serious sexual offences outside of their terms of reference.

A number of high-profile cases have highlighted the team’s ability and professionalism such as R v Carrick. SOIT led the initial investigation, charge and remand into custody before handover to the Major Crime Unit and the R v Rogers case, a stranger rape within the LGBT community, led by SOIT prior to the Major Crime Unit.

Regular positive victim feedback reflects their dedication and teamwork to protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice.

 

Unsung Hero Award:

Project Phoenix – the team behind the redevelopment of the constabulary’s headquarters and the relocation of Watford’s Police Station.

This year’s winners are a team of people who have been quietly working in the background, making plans, moving hundreds of people and equipment, co-ordinating teams of contractors and tirelessly plugging away with council planners in readiness for the demolition and redevelopment of police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.

Whilst their work is by no means finished, they have received the Chief Constable’s Unsung Hero Award to recognise their achievements to date.

Made of up of colleagues from the Chief Officer Team, Estates and Facilities, ICT and operational officers and staff, the Project Phoenix team is responsible for the mammoth task of executing a demolition and rebuild on a busy operational policing site.

To make sure the buildings are vacant and ready for demolition, 385 people have been moved to new accommodation as well as hundreds more who have been moved into different offices at headquarters - a huge undertaking – not to mention moving all of the ICT equipment and coordinating the upgrade and re-fitting of office spaces to make them fit for purpose.

They’ve also ensured continuity of essential services such as the canteen and gym.

It’s not only moving staff but the endless preparation before any physical work takes place, much of which has been years in the making and unseen by the wider organisation.

With contractors now working on site and vacant buildings ready for demolition, the project is now well underway and their intricate planning is coming to fruition.

Whilst doing all of this they have also been instrumental in the planning and execution of the relocation of Watford’s Police Station, which is due to be completed by the new year.

The team deserve high praise for their efforts to date and are very worthy winners of this year’s Unsung Hero Award.