Chief Constable’s Award Ceremony – Thursday 28 October 2021

On Thursday 28 October, Chief Constable’s Award Ceremonies made a return after having been postponed for the last 18 months.

​The ceremony was attended by Chief Constable John Campbell, Deputy Chief Constable Jason Hogg and Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber.

A variety of long service awards were presented alongside Chief Constable’s Commendations and a Chief Constable’s Higher Commendation.

Police Community Support Officer Magda Molenda received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for her contribution in helping to negotiate with a man who was in crisis in Slough back in June 2019.

Negotiators were deployed to the scene to assist the man down from a roof, however were met with an immediate language barrier as the man only spoke in Polish. They used Language Line to engage with the man however this method was not moving the negotiations forward and there was a real need to have a Polish speaking person present at the scene.

There were no Polish speaking staff members on duty at the time and so Magda was contacted whilst off duty and she dropped what she was doing and travelled to Slough immediately.

Magda was briefed and with coaching and support from the negotiators she took on the role of the lead negotiator.

It was established that the man had previously been in the canal next to the building and with the temperature dropping, paramedics on scene were increasingly concerned for not only his mental health but also his physical health due to a risk of hyperthermia.

Magda was able to build a good rapport with the man and after around four hours she had built up enough trust that the man climbed down voluntarily.

Magda was under no obligation to attend this incident or to stay until its conclusion which was around 2am, but she showed great commitment and resilience in helping to safely resolve the incident and save the life of a man in need of support.

Police Constable James Elliott and Sergeant Dave Spencer received Chief Constable’s Commendations for the safe arrest of a highly violent man and for providing first aid to victims of catastrophic assault in Newport Pagnell in 2019.

Sergeant Spencer arrived at the incident first and with no thought for his own safety, approached and arrested the offender alone.

PC Elliott and a colleague immediately provided first aid to the victims of attempted murder, despite not knowing the location of the offender. They kept the victims calm through communication and managed to stabilise the victims at the scene before they were transported to hospital.

Both Sgt Spencer and PC Elliott demonstrated exceptional bravery, determination and selflessness.

Police Constable Ben Eastment was presented with a Chief Constable’s Higher Commendation for bravely saving the life of an unconscious woman by rescuing her from a house fire in 2019.

Displaying enormous courage, they entered and searched the house which led to the discovery of an unconscious woman and a teenage boy who stated that there were children stuck in a locked bedroom. PC Eastment and his colleague managed to force the door open, which revealed a mattress on fire. The fire grew rapidly and smoke was filling the upstairs of the property, hindering the visibility.

Together the two officers carried the woman out of the house, ensure the teenage boy had safely escaped the burning property and began first aid to the woman. In their efforts to rescue the female from the property, they suffered smoke inhalation and received oxygen therapy for an hour following the incident.

Both officers showed great courage at this incident, having placed themselves in harm’s way to save the life of the person in the house who would have undoubtedly have died if it had not been for their brave and decisive actions.

Duncan Jones, Lance Walker, DCI Cat McKay, Insp Gordy McKay, PC Helen Lacey, Sgt Paul Cladingboel and T/Det Supt Simon Steel all received long service awards for 20 years’ service. Museum volunteer Dave Stubbs received a long service award for five years’ service and Martin Davidson and Maxine Settle received long service awards for 10 years’ volunteering service.

Chief Constable John Campbell, said, “This event is a wonderful celebration of long service for officers, staff and volunteers, as well as recognising those who go above and beyond.

“After not having taken place for the last 18 months, it is a welcome opportunity for the recipients to be able to bring their family and friends along to share their achievements together.”

 

**Notes to editors, the colleague of Sgt Spencer and PC Elliott has also received a Chief Constable’s Commendation but did not attend the ceremony. PC Eastment’s colleague has also received a Chief Constable’s Higher Commendation via another route**