Success celebrated at Warwickshire Police Chief Constable’s awards evening

The service and dedication of officers, staff and volunteers from Warwickshire Police has been recognised at a special ceremony.

The Warwickshire Police Chief Constable’s Awards evening took place at the Spa Centre in Leamington last night (12 November).

Awards were presented by The Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox and The High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Simon Miesegaes.
 
Chief Constable’s commendations were presented to the following at the ceremony:
 
• Jonathan Gupta from Staffordshire Police was commended for his support to the NPCC’s Vetting Portfolio. Jonathan has been instrumental in this key area for the last fifteen years during which time he was seconded to work on the Integrity Programme, which produced the Code of Ethics and Vetting Code of Practice.
• Det Con Ruth Morris was commended for her part in dealing with a serious assault in Rugby in October 2017, whilst driving home from work. Ruth put herself back on duty to deal with the incident, to ensure a seriously injured woman was taken to hospital and the offender was arrested. Her quick thinking and dedication not only helped to save the lady’s life, but also provided crucial evidence to arrest the suspect and bring him to justice.
• Paramedics James Lythe and Tina Bailey were commended for their professionalism and bravery when dealing with an incident on 20 April this year. After completing a 12 hour shift, they were returning to their base when they found a woman on the carriageway on the M6. James managed to swerve around the woman and immediately stopped the ambulance, placing a block on lanes two and three. Tina then exited the ambulance in order to give medical attention to the female, whilst James manoeuvred back towards the woman, putting a full closure on all three lanes, protecting both his colleague and their patient. Both paramedics went above and beyond their duties by reacting so swiftly and professionally, ultimately putting themselves in danger to save the life of the woman.
• Chief Inspector Karl Faulkner was praised for his role of Force Tactical Lead for problem solving. Since launching the force’s new problem solving approach in summer 2018, Karl has continued to develop his own knowledge as well as that of the workforce, and he is now recognised nationally as an expert in his field. He has developed Warwickshire's approach to such an extent that it is now considered to be a leading force, and his work has brought about significant and far-reaching improvements in our approach towards problem-solving and demand reduction.
• Also commended was Val Herlihy - who was a Detective Constable at the time - for leading a complex three-year rape investigation. Her determination during the investigation led to a man being sentenced to 25 years in prison. In summing up, the Judge praised Det Con Herlihy for the quality of the investigation and the perseverance she had demonstrated to secure the evidence necessary to bring such an important case to court.
• PCs Scott Caswell and Paul Linton were commended for their swift actions after rescuing a woman from the River Avon on 4 July this year. Alongside a paramedic, they entered the river with a water kit to save the woman, potentially putting their own safety at risk. 
• Sgt Simon Ryan was recognised for his sheer determination and tenacity in order to continue tackling county lines drug dealing in Stratford. Working with his Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and partner agencies to target involved addresses and protect those vulnerable to exploitation, this has currently resulted in excess of 30 warrants, £44,000 of class A drugs seized, 22 arrests and five custodial sentences currently handed out. 
• Det Con Roy Clark was commended for his actions on 1 July this year, when a member of the public suffered a cardiac arrest whilst driving in Sutton Coldfield. Det Con Clark was travelling behind the car and on reaching the scene, he managed to open the driver’s door and safely remove him from the vehicle. The officer immediately started CPR whilst ambulance and police colleagues were en-route. The man was later told by his consultant that if it not been for the swift and timely actions of Det Con Clark on that morning, he would have died at the scene.
 
Twelve officers received The Police Long Service and Good Conduct medal, which is presented to officers who have served as a member of a police force for 20 years and during that period their character and conduct has been honourable, and eight members of police staff received Long Service Certificates, which are presented on completion of 20 years of service.
 
Three officers from the Special Constabulary were awarded with Special Constabulary Long Service Medals and three police specials were presented with the High Sheriff’s Special Constabulary Award.

Congratulations to Scenes of Crime Officer Elizabeth Oldham, who was awarded the Jeff Lloyd Forensic Award.

A number of awards were presented by the Police and Crime Commissioner Phillip Seccombe, including to PC Stephen Croshaw for his Excellence in Policing and Community Safety. 
 
Warwickshire Police Chief Constable, Martin Jelley QPM, paid tribute to all the award winners. He said: “I’m always incredibly proud to present these awards in recognition of the hard work, dedication and courage of our officers and staff.
 
“Every day, we do everything we can to protect our communities from harm and I’m delighted to hear some of the extraordinary efforts of those who have gone above and beyond while in the line of duty.
 
"It is also wonderful to have the opportunity to recognise the commitment and dedication of some of our long serving officers, staff and volunteers, and I would like to congratulate each and every one of the award recipients for their efforts.
 
All of tonight’s recipients are thoroughly deserving of their awards and I am delighted to recognise these achievements.”

Warwickshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, added: “Across Warwickshire I am exceptionally proud of the police officers and staff who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.
 
“These awards evenings are always uplifting and inspiring occasions, and I’d like to congratulate everyone receiving commendations this evening.”

Pictured:

Image 1 (L-R, top to bottom): James Lythe, Tina Bailey, Val Herlihy, Ch Insp Karl Faulkner, Det Con Ruth Morris, Sgt Simon Morris

Image 2 (L-R, top to bottom): PC Paul Linton, PC Scott Caswell, Jonathan Gupta

Issued: HCB, Corporate Communications