Cumbria Police volunteers have been celebrated at this year’s Citizens in Policing Awards, for their outstanding contributions to their communities.

The ceremony, held at North Lakes Hotel in Penrith last night (4 June), formed part of the National Volunteers Week to recognise and thank our dedicated volunteers, who give up their free time to contribute to the Constabulary’s mission to keep Cumbria safe.

Over ten awards and certificates were presented, including Special Constable of the Year, Cadet of the Year, Mini Police School of the Year and Police Support Volunteer of the Year.

Various volunteers from across the county were welcomed, along with their family and friends, including Craig Johnson who presented the Mini Police Officer award after founding the Mini Police in 2011 whilst working as a serving officer with Durham Constabulary. 

In attendance to present the awards, were the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen, Deputy Chief Constable Darren Martland and the High Sherriff of Cumbria, Christopher Holmes.

DCC Darren Martland praised all the volunteers for their remarkable commitment to serving the public saying: “I would like to thank all of our volunteers and everyone who attended last night’s event.

“It was wonderful to see everyone get together to celebrate the many achievements of our volunteers who play such a vital part in our policing service to keep Cumbria safe.

“We sincerely appreciate their selfless work and dedication to their roles, sacrificing their own time to make a difference to their communities and we are proud to have them as part of the team here in Cumbria Police.”

PFCC David Allen said: “It was heart-warming to see the enthusiasm, dedication and passion for volunteering with Cumbria Police at last night’s Awards Ceremony.

“It is incredibly positive that we are fortunate enough to have such a strong team of volunteers as part of the Constabulary’s wider family and I would like to thank them for giving up their time so willingly.

“We simply would not be as good, nor have as rich a picture of what we do and how to make it work better, without our fantastic volunteers.”