Community Policing Awards 2023 Winners

Community Policing Awards 2023 Winners

Thames Valley Police is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Community Policing Awards.

Oxfordshire Volunteer 2023

Mark Hickman

Mark joined as a volunteer in April 2016 and has been volunteering his time as part of Cherwell and West Oxfordshire’s Police Cadets ever since.

Just one example, out of the many, where Mark has gone above and beyond is when he arranged for a force-wide cadet summer trip which took place back in August. Mark dedicated his time to researching all of the places they could visit, trying to link it in with team building and linking it back to the police. (They ended up staying in a prison!)

Mark’s dedication and commitment to the Cadets is inspirational.

His nominator said, “His drive to make cadets a fun experience for all of them is admirable.”

Buckinghamshire Volunteer 2023

Robert Durrant

Robert joined Thames Valley Police as a volunteer at the front counter in Milton Keynes.

He demonstrates exceptional dedication to the force, attending on bank holidays, snow days and even days he is not rostered to help.  He always makes sure to attend earlier than everyone else to ensure everything it set up for when the rest of the team arrive. Robert always goes the extra mile, taking on more than his fair share of work and never complains.

His nominator said ‘He deserves this award because without him our team would struggle and he works harder than any volunteer I have seen.”

Berkshire and Overall Volunteer 2023

Stephen Hutchinson

Stephen became a volunteer for Thames Valley Police in May 2011 and has given TVP countless hours in various different roles. Stephen will respond to a call for assistance immediately and has assisted the force with many functions and initiatives ranging from Force Open Days, transporting guests to and from the car parks, to providing support in interviews as an appropriate adult.

His nominator said “He is a very valued adaptable all-rounder whose sense of duty is second to none.”

Problem Solving Award 2023

Southcourt Boxing Club

Southcourt Boxing Club was launched back in January 2023 and already has over 90 children and adults regularly attending.

The club helps supports victims of domestic violence who receive empowerment coaching, vulnerable children and adults and those with disabilities. One stand out attendees is a young boy who has cerebral palsy, when he first joined the club he struggled to walk but after the three months of attending has been able to build his strength up which has led to an incredibly positive effect on his life. 

Cadet 2023

Billy Alderman

Billy is the deputy head cadet at Windsor and Maidenhead and his leadership qualities are of the highest standard. He leads by example and is always the first to volunteer.

Billy helped to create a training package whereby the cadet group visits elderly and vulnerable groups to teach them how to get the best out of their smartphones and tablets. The aim being to help combat isolation and loneliness which has had a real benefit in preventing fraud and scams that are associated to digital communications. Not only did Billy take a leading role in designing the course, he has helped train other cadets and led them on numerous visits to community groups and delivered exceptional training and service to the people who need help the most.

His nominator said: “Billy is a huge benefit to our community and Thames Valley Police.”

Diversity Champion 2023

PCSO Steve Smith

Steve is a force Police Link Officer for the Deaf (PLOD) and is trained to level 2 in British Sign Language. He works hard in his own time to keep up this skill and works tirelessly alongside his own workload to ensure that he makes time for the deaf community.

Steve is based at Reading town centre and has been engaging with the deaf and hard of hearing community since he joined the force in 2007. Steve regularly visits Bracknell Area Deaf and Hard of Hearing Group which has allowed a community who had previously felt isolated and disengaged with the police to once again feel part of the community. His nominator said: “He goes above and beyond for this community and he is so passionate about it.”

Community Volunteer 2023

Oxford City Angels 

Oxford City Angels formed in May 2022, formally launching their first deployment in August 2022 with Sharon, Belinda and Daniel as the Directors.

The organisation seeks to support the safety and security of women within the Oxford night-time economy. They perform high visibility patrols working alongside and in conjunction with police officers and have saved countless police hours since their inception, safeguarding the vulnerable people within Oxford City.

Their nominator said: “They are highly regarded by the local community and licenced premises and their work to reduce demand on policing and safeguard the visitors to our city is something that everyone is incredibly grateful for.”

Police Community Support Officer 2023

PCSO Will Manuel

Will joined Thames Valley Police in September 2021 and is based in Reading. He has worked to engage young people who have previously avoided the police within one of the most deprived areas of Reading.

Several schools have reinforced that Will has revitalised the community and parents and students are excited by the involvement that Will has had.

One of his nominators said, “In an area where many don’t view police in the greatest way, it was amazing for my son to build a positive relationship with someone in a uniform. My son is even saying now he’d like to be a police officer!”

Will’s work since he joined the Neighbourhood Police Team has been exceptional and he always goes above and beyond.

Special Constabulary 2023

Special Sergeant Jock Hutchison

Jock joined Thames Valley Police in 2019 and started as a Special Constable working towards his Direct Patrol Status. Across 2021 and 2022, Jock has completed over 700 hours.

Jock is dependable, highly committed and takes pride in what he does. He provides support and mentoring to Special Constables who are younger in service and would often plan his shifts around their availability.

Jock’s full time job outside of TVP has some transferrable skills allowing him to be an excellent help for those in crises. An example of this is when one of our response teams attended a man attempting to take his own life. Whilst in attendance they were waiting for a Force Negotiator, Jock heard the details over the radio and volunteered himself to the Duty Inspector and because of his skills and knowledge in his other role, he was able to start the negotiation. He was very composed, showing understanding and empathy. The Force Negotiator attended the scene and was so impressed with what they had seen, they asked Jock to continue to which there was a successful resolution with the person coming down safely.

Community Officer 2023

Sergeant Tom Neilson

Tom joined Thames Valley Police in 2002 and is currently the Milton Keynes South Neighbourhood Sergeant.

Tom has not only made his area a safer place to be but prioritised the wellbeing of his team. He has developed and commanded local initiatives with such success that they have been adapted by the local police area and then across the wider force.

One of his nominators said: “Tom is quite simply the neighbourhood sergeant you want leading your team. He understands community policing and has the operational and personal skills in order to deliver community policing at the highest level.”

Lifetime Achievement 2023

Phil Hanham

Phil Hanham joined Thames Valley Police in 1993 and was based in Roads Policing before he retired in March this year after 30 years of service.

During the course of his career, Phil experienced being a detective for 18 months, qualified as a senior investigating officer and became a family liaison officer in the Roads Policing Department.

He led multiple investigations into deaths on the roads with countless successful prosecutions, provided support to many families of officers whose lives were lost on the roads either on or off duty and assisted in the arrangements of many police families.

Lifetime Achievement 2023

Tony Maule

Tony joined Thames Valley Police in 1996 and completed 27 years’ service before retiring earlier this year.

Tony had oversight of the Detention Officer training and designed a training package for detention officers when their training needs moved ‘in house’.

Tony works tirelessly within Criminal Justice and Learning and Development ensuring that custody staff have the new required knowledge in both practical skills and knowledge base.  He has dedicated a large portion of his service to Criminal Justice and has overseen several projects in his time at Thames Valley Police that have been operationally critical to the running of the force.

His nominator said: “Other than personally going above and beyond for me, Sergeant Maule has gone above and beyond for the organisation as a whole.”