A team of police volunteers from Burnham-On-Sea have been honoured for their work at a national awards ceremony this week.
Russell Fletcher, Linda Britton and John Alexander (pictured above) were invited to the National Policing Improvement Agency’s annual Special Constable and Police Support Volunteer Awards.
The ceremony recognises the wide range of skills that volunteers bring to local policing across the UK.
The Burnham Police Customer Care and Ring Back Team were Highly Commended in the volunteers category.
It follows their work to improve the follow-up of reports of anti-social behaviour, which have resulted in improved satisfaction rates among victims in Burnham.
John Alexander was also highly commended in the individual police support volunteers category in recognition of his work to recruit and train volunteers to reduce speeding in Burnham. His other work has included providing a call-back service for anti-social behaviour victims, helping the force to increase satisfaction levels for victims by almost 15%.
Nick Gargan, Chief Executive Officer of the National Policing Improvement Agency, said: “Volunteers have always played a key role in policing and it is extremely encouraging that the numbers of specials and volunteers are increasing. They form a crucial link between forces and the local communities they serve. These awards are an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to the achievements of the thousands of community-minded volunteers across England and Wales who help the police in many important ways every day.”
There was a new record of 149 nominations this year. The awards were first held in 1993 to recognise the work of special constables and were renamed to also recognise volunteers who perform unpaid tasks to allow regular officers and police staff to carry out other duties.
Pictured: Russell Fletcher, Linda Britton and John Alexander at this week’s National Policing Improvement Agency awards
