Celebrating our dedicated police volunteers at Citizens in Policing Awards 2023
During National Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the incredible volunteers who were recognised at our Citizens in Policing Awards earlier this year on the 23April.
Winners were announced across seven categories with awards for those who volunteer in support roles, volunteer police officers (special constables), and an award for the Citizens in Policing Ambassador of the Year.
Deputy Chief Constable Nikki Watson said, “Volunteers’ Week is a great opportunity to celebrate the people who make the difference every day, providing support and bringing their expertise to policing.
“Our volunteers support policing in lots of different ways. From helping to police our communities as special constables, to being part of our Neighbourhood Watch schemes, becoming police cadets, or supporting with cyber investigations – and many other roles in-between. We are incredibly grateful for the talent and dedication they bring to policing.”
The winners under each award this year were:
Police Support Volunteer of the Year
The winner of this award supports our cyber teams with investigations support and prevention work. Their skills and experience bring an undoubtable benefit to policing, making sure we can provide a better service to the communities of Avon and Somerset.
Special Constable of the Year: Jordan Brown
Jordan was nominated by a police constable, who shared with us why he nominated Jordan.
“The one incident that I recall most of all was a violent disorder Jordan supported me with. There were approximately 60 people involved, half of which had weapons which they were looking to use. Jordan did not hesitate in getting out of the car and assisting me in trying to prevent further disorder, preventing further injuries to parties involved and assisting in the arrest of one of the main offenders. His acts that day were selfless, courageous, and very much in the interest of the public.”
Jordan Brown pictured receiving their award from Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford (left) and Assistant Chief Constable Jon Reilly (right)
Cadet of the Year: Chelsea Hopson
Chelsea has been volunteering as a police cadet for three years. Since joining, she has volunteered for 19 separate community engagement activities, totalling around 86 hours. Chelsea represented the police at many different events such as Badminton horse trials, and remembrance parades. Chelsea also supported four operations and attended over 90 hours of voluntary learning as part of her role.
Chelsea Hopson pictured receiving their award
Innovation in Policing: Jay Ralph
Special Constable Jay Ralph leads by example and demonstrated the highest levels of professionalism, knowledge, and competency in his role with the East Somerset Special Constable Team.
Jay Ralph pictured receiving their award
Special Constable Supervisor of the Year: George Malin
Special Sergeant George Malin works closely with all officers in his team to support their learning. George is reliable, adaptable and compassionate in his approach to policing, and maintains a strong level of professionalism when dealing with colleagues and members of the public alike.
George Malin pictured receiving their award
Student Special Constable of the Year
The winner of this award has been volunteering as a special constable with us for just a year. In that time, they have given 959 hours of their time to support policing. They were nominated for their service but particularly for the level of care they show to those that are most vulnerable in our communities. They have been involved on multiple occasions in talking down suicidal men and women. They have shown support to a victim of crime that has been seriously assaulted and shown incredible compassion to someone that has lost a loved one.
Police Support Volunteer Team of the Year: Comms Chaplaincy Team
Our chaplaincy team is made up of Adrian, Andy and Jenny who provide our officers and staff with listening support, advice and care. They were nominated for the support they give our control room team – who are responsible for answering requests for support from the public, through answering 999 and 101 calls. Control room staff said that many people have benefited from their wisdom and kindness over the years.
The Chaplaincy Team pictured receiving their award
Special Constable Team of the Year: Somerset East Team
The team consistently display our core values of caring, courageous, inclusive, and learning. They work together as a team, supporting each other during difficult times and challenging situations, offering support to our officers, and always using their operations as opportunities for training and learning, taking time to reflect and feed back to each other.
Cadet Team of the Year: Weston-super-Mare
The cadets in this unit are incredibly hard working and have assisted us with many crime prevention events including bike marking, letter drops, and crime prevention roadshows. Some of the cadets have pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and have organised and run their own cadet sessions, all of which have been very well received.
CiP Ambassador of the Year: Megan Haldane
As part of her role as Cyber Protect Officer, Megan was keen to use the passion of cadets to help others, by spreading the word about cyber security. Megan developed the Junior Protect Officer Program, which is a program to educate our police cadets on cyber protection advice and work with them to develop solutions and educate the public.
Megan developed a bespoke training package based on the ages of the cadets, identifying key crime types affecting their own age groups and empowering them to feel confident in cascading their learning to their communities.
Megan Haldane pictured receiving their award
This year’s winners will be put forward to represent Avon and Somerset Police at the Citizens in Policing Awards for the Southwest region.
If you’re interested in volunteering to serve and protect your community, please keep an eye on opportunities available here Volunteer with us | Avon and Somerset Police