Neighbourhood policing officers have been recognised for their hard work within our communities at the neighbourhood policing awards.

The awards were held during Cumbria Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Conference which were held on October 11.

Eight awards were presented to officers and PCSO’s by Chief Constable Michelle Skeer and Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall in recognition of their contribution to neighbourhood policing.  

Superintendent’s Neighbourhood Policing Leadership Awards

Inspector Richard Smillie, Copeland Neighbourhood Policing Team has been recognised for his leadership of the Copeland Neighbourhood Policing Team. Richard has developed successful partnerships withing the local focus hub resulting in police and partners to quickly and effectively respond to community concerns.

Richard has also worked to ensure a high level of service is delivered to victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) by improving the constabulary’s policies and procedures. He has also promoted innovation within his team and supported digital changes within the NPT.

Sergeant Jo Smith, Barrow Neighbourhood Policing Team was selected for this award following her hard work and determination to enhance existing partnership working within Barrow. Jo has a passion for community policing and has developed the work of the Local Focus hub helping to integrate a hub manager within Barrow Borough Council.

Jo has also helped develop partner working with police officers working alongside colleagues from other agencies to develop relationships and the response to the community.

Police Community Support Officers of the Year 2022

Eden Police Community Support Officer Karen Dakin has been award for dedication and passion into rural and wildlife crime which has had a profound impact on the confidence of the local and wider community.

Karen has been integral in building strong relationships with the rural community and the police which has resulted in increased reporting into suspicious and criminal incidents. She has also helped to improve the skills of the wider team by securing specialist training and worked with partners from NFU to raise awareness.

Copeland Police Community Support Officer Hollie Huck has been recognised for her work in the reduction of ASB within Cleator Moor. Hollie received concerns regarding emerging issues from the public, local businesses, and community leaders.

Hollie’s dedication to understanding the issues with main stakeholders, working to address them and supporting victims and address the offender’s behaviour has led to the success in reducing ASB.

Neighbourhood Police Officers of the Year 2022   

Eden Police Constable Richard Kemp has also been recognised for his dedication to tackle rural crime following concerns raised by the rural community. Richard has worked alongside partners both within the force and bordering forces leading to the successful disruption, arrests, and prosecutions of numerous offenders through fast time intelligence sharing targeting Cumbria’s rural communities.

Richard has built and maintained relationships with counterparts across the border, and upon witnessing best practice has sought to implement new approaches within Cumbria.

Temporary Police Sergeant Leesa Edwards has been awarded for her proactive working in addressing issues that have had a detrimental effect on the local community’s quality of life.

During her time as a problem-solving PC, Leesa engaged and developed trust with affected communities and with local prosecutors to ensure the evidence needed was secured. This led to the closure of several premises allowing communities to live their lives in peace.

Leesa developed her own skills and knowledge to understand how to work with private landlords at an earlier stage to prevent the need for further closure orders and has supported other teams across the force with this work. Leesa now shares this knowledge as a sergeant to her team focusing on early intervention and has used the trust with the community to address other issue such as ASB.

Neighbourhood Policing Team Innovation Award 2022 

The Allerdale Neighbourhood Policing team of T/Inspector Scott Adams, PC Catherine Higson, T/PS Leesa Edwards, PCSO Rachel Pape and Senior Manager Community Safety & Resilience Emma Thompson received this award following the response to youth related ASB in Workington Town Centre.

To address the issues the team used a problem-solving approach to resolve the issues, which included the implementation of a Community Beat Officer, a dedicated, locally-based officer working within the community to tackle local issues. This work seen a significant reduction in calls for service, reduction in youth related crimes and a reduction in alcohol related admissions to west Cumbria. Local businesses and community leaders have fed back positively that this approach has improved their quality of lives and confidence in Cumbria Police.

Though the Allerdale Local Focus Hub the team proactively coordinated joint community engagement, targeted foot patrols, multi-agency community events and longer-term solutions, including apprenticeships with local business for key offenders.

Neighbourhood Policing Individual Innovation Award 2022      

Police Constable Mark Christie from Carlisle NPT has been recognised for his determination to improve the Constabulary’s delivery to the public.

Mark has used his experience as a problem solver and strived to improve processes and efficiencies alongside his day-to-day role within the NPT.

Mark has strived for the community to receive a high level of service and his contribution to forcewide Neighbourhood Policing will greatly improve service delivery to communities across Cumbria.

Speaking on the awards Chief Constable Michelle Skeer said “The neighbourhood policing teams are a huge part of day-to-day policing.

“These awards have highlighted just some of the excellent hard work that our teams carry out on a daily basis to address community issues.”

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: “Policing is a multi-facetted role and the neighbour policing teams handle so many different aspects of crime and policing on a day-to-day basis.

“These awards provide the Constabulary with the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic work that is being done around the county to keep the public safe and build on the positive relationship between the Police and the public.

“Congratulations to everyone who has been recognised at the ceremony – all awards are well deserved.”