Community policing awards honour officers and staff
26 May 2010
The Police Service of Northern Ireland announced the winners of the annual Policing with the Community Awards on Tuesday 25 May.
The showcase event, developed by the Police Service in partnership with the Northern Ireland Policing Board, is in its seventh year and is designed to recognise and honour the commitment of officers and police staff.
Winners in the award categories were announced at a ceremony held in Enniskillen:
*Probationer of the Year - Constable Keith Courtney, F District, Fermanagh Area
*Neighbourhood Policing Team of the Year - D District, Dunmurry Neighbourhood Team
*Diversity in Action Award – Community Safety Unit, Unite Against Hate Campaign
*Problem Solving in Partnership Award- F District, Cookstown Community Safety Team, Choices programme
*Police Officer of the Year – Sergeant Brian Caskey, York Road Neighbourhood Policing Team , A District
*Police Staff Lifetime Achievement – Iris Breen, F District, Omagh Area
*Police Lifetime Achievement – Inspector John Kinkead, Crime Operations Department
The initiative aims to publicly recognise and reward outstanding problem-solving policing in partnership with local communities and also to celebrate the important contribution of police staff towards making Northern Ireland a safer place for everyone.
District Commanders, departmental heads, District Policing Partnerships and residents from local communities submitted nominations for the various categories.
Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr said: "My congratulations go to all the nominees and winners in each of the categories.
“This is the seventh year for the Awards. They are an important channel for us to not only showcase the dedication and professionalism of the Police Service to the broader community but to share examples of best practice between officers and staff.
“Policing with the community underpins every aspect of day to day policing, whether this takes the form of patrolling the streets, tackling anti-social behaviour, working with partners to challenge underage drinking, conducting road policing operations or investigating criminal activity. Our commitment to delivering a service in partnership with other voluntary and statutory organisations that is tailored to the specific needs of local communities is resolute.
"Partnership comes in many different forms. Today we have been fortunate to receive assistance from the business community to deliver the Awards and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support."
Recognising the importance of the awards, Policing Board Acting Chairman Brian Rea said: "Every day, across Northern Ireland, police officers are out on our streets working hard to deliver a Police Service which benefits our entire society. This kind of policing can only be really achieved when the police and the community work in partnership. However, the full impact of this work is often overlooked which is why it is so important to recognise the dedication, hard work and initiative of police officers and staff.”
Sponsors:
Probationer of the Year Award is sponsored by Deloitte
Neighbourhood Policing Team of the Year Award is sponsored by Tesco
Diversity in Action Award is sponsored by Aramark
Problem Solving in Partnership of the Year Award is sponsored by Fujitsu
Police Staff Member of the Year Award is sponsored by Grafton
Police Officer of the Year Award is sponsored by the Northern Ireland Policing Board
Police Staff Lifetime Achievement Award is sponsored by Sodexo
Police Officer Lifetime Achievement Award is sponsored by Northern Bank
