Wiltshire Police honoured 32 officers, staff and members of the public for their outstanding service and bravery at a force awards ceremony at Cumberwell Golf Club.
A plethora of people from across the county were honoured with long service medals, certificates of commendation, excellence, recognition, teamwork, leadership and the Dan Cooper Award at the club in Bradford on Avon on June 16.
Among the many recipients was Trowbridge officer Thomas Carver who received the Dan Cooper memorial award for his outstanding service and dedication to the force.
The 30-year-old officer is always the first to volunteer for incidents and has the largest workload in the team. He was commended for his compassion and empathy and in particular when dealing with the sudden death of an elderly woman in Trowbridge and her husband who was left distraught.
Mr Carver said: "For any person who comes into contact with someone that is going through one of the worst times in their life, all we can try and do is give what we can to make it easier and I know all of my colleagues would have done the same.
"The award was a massive shock but I feel very humbled and happy with it especially for what the award stands for as well. It means quite a lot."
Four officers from Tri-Force were presented with the Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition, Outstanding Teamwork and Certificate of Excellence following the arrest of a man in Leigh Delamere who was in possession of a replica handgun.
The incident had taken place on October 16, 2015, when police received a call that a man had been seen in the car park of Leigh Delamare Services place a handgun in the boot of a Vauxhall Corsa.
Firearms officers, including Constables Paul Bridger, Frank Cavill, Alexander Dodgson and Jef Hutchby, were sent out to the location and detained the man.
An imitation revolver was located in the driver’s door pocket and he was arrested for possession of an imitation firearm.
He had contacted police using a false name pretending to be a member of the public, drawing police resources to the service station in a potential life threatening situation.
Special Contstable Richard Warren MBE from Malmesbury was also presented with a certificate of excellence for serving his community for 49 years.
Over the years, Mr Warren has worked on countless campaigns to combat drink driving, drug abuse and built trusted relationships within the local community.
The 71-year-old said: "I think the award is special in a way because it is not just for me, it is for all the specials out there. I am probably the longest serving special in Wiltshire but they are starting a new recruitment drive soon and I hope I can be an example for the specials to come."
The Malmesbury constable who was commended for his relationship with the community said he won't be stopping any time soon and will probably still be policing when he is 80-years-old.
Chief Constable Mike Veale said: “As Chief Constable it is a great honour and I am immensely proud to be presenting awards to police officers and staff. This evening is a fantastic opportunity for us to formally recognise and honour our colleagues for the outstanding service they provide as well as selfless acts of bravery in protecting the communities of Wiltshire.
“I am proud that Wiltshire is one of the safest counties in the country. We are blessed with greater diversity, police officers, police staff and volunteers working brilliantly together with so much talent across our organisation.
“Thank you to all officers and staff for their continued hard work and thank you to the loyal and supportive families who make it happen.”
The full list of recipients are as follows:
Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Inspector Steve Cox – Devizes Headquarters
Chief Constable’s Certificate of Commendation
Acting Police Sergeant Neil Duffin – Chippenham response
Police Constable Michelle Jones – Swindon response
Police Community Support Officer Maria Downham – Ludgershall
Detective Constable Paula Clissold – Salisbury
Chief Constable’s Certificate of Commendation & Excellence
Special Police Sergeant Stuart Parker – Swindon
Special Police Constable Nigel Todd – Swindon
Chief Constable’s Certificate of Excellence
Special Constable Richard Warren MBE
Sergeant Robert Macleod – Devizes Headquarters
Outstanding Teamwork and Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition
Detective Constable Sonia Marsh – Swindon CID
Detective Constable Matt Salmon – Swindon CID
Detective Constable Nick Bishop – Swindon CID
Detective Constable Emma Kinderman – Swindon CID
Detective Sergeant Gareth Kitchener – Swindon Priority Crime Team
Detective Constable Sonia Marsh – Swindon CID
Detective Constable James Roberts – Swindon CID
Detective Constable Matt Salmon – Swindon CID
Helen Gleaves – Member of the public
Chief Constable’s Certificate of Recognition, Outstanding Teamwork and Certificate of Excellence
Major Russ Plested – Member of the public
Captain Robert Backus – Pilot
Constable Nigel Gilbert – Chippenham
Ms Jo Munday – Wiltshire Air Ambulance
Constable Paul Bridger – Tri-Force
Constable Frank Cavill – Tri-Force
Constable Alexander Dodgson – Tri-Force
Constable Jef Hutchby – Tri-Force
Inspirational Leadership
Sergeant Nigel Kinderman – Swindon
The Dan Cooper Memorial Award
Constable Thomas Carver – Trowbridge
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