East Area Awards 2022

Staff and officers from Lincolnshire Police came together to celebrate the tireless efforts of those who make our county safer at the East Area Awards Ceremony 2022.

The event, which was held at Boston United FC on Thursday, 9 June, saw colleagues gather to pay tribute to those who have gone above and beyond in recent years.

Stories of bravery, determination and empathy were shared on the night, which saw dozens of people honoured for their contributions.

Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, who rose to prominence during the coronavirus crisis, was on hand to be part of a special evening.

Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson kicked off the event with a rousing introduction and she had no shortage of praise for those involved.

She said: ‘It was wonderful to be able to spend the evening reflecting on the incredible achievements of our colleagues on East.

“We all rush from incident to incident and don’t always have the opportunity to pause, reflect, and look back on what we have been able to do for the public.

“From saving people’s lives, to tenacious investigations, to supporting a vulnerable adult and their dog who were causing community concern, we all play a pivotal role in making Lincolnshire the safe, and welcoming county that it is.

“I was humbled to hear of the professionalism, and hard work ongoing in the district, and I am grateful to all of the recipients, their friends and families, and of course Sir Van-Tam, for being involved in such a special evening.”

Scroll down to see pictures from the night, as well as the awards citations in full.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

Police Community Support Officer J Drake

Lincolnshire Police had received complaints about the aggressive nature of a dog which was escaping frequently and owned by a resident of Louth. PCSO Joanna Drake sought to solve this problem.

Acting on her own initiative, PCSO Drake liaised with the Wildlife Crime Officer and worked with him to secure a Voluntary Dog Control Order. Working with the East Lindsey District Council Dog Warden, PCSO Drake also arranged and provided the owner of the dog with a suitable dog lead and harness.

Through this work, PCSO Drake was able to establish that the dog was not microchipped and booked an appointment with the local vets. There was a cost of £15 for this. The owner of the dog was able to raise £10 himself. PCSO Drake contacted the Trinity Church in Louth who give cash donations to those in need; they were happy to contribute the shortfall, which led to the dog being chipped. PCSO Drake kept in touch with the owner throughout and accompanied him to the vets to support him and ensure the appointment was kept.

This was an excellent piece of work and problem solving at its finest. Therefore, Chief Superintendent Anderson is please to present the Area Commander's Commendation to PCSO Joanna Drake.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

A/Inspector Dave DICKEN

PC Ben NUTTELL

DC Matthew WARWICK

This commendation relates to a domestic incident in which a female was allegedly stabbed by her husband. The female was allegedly stabbed twice by the male while their children were present.

She managed to get to a neighbour’s property for assistance and the male was arrested for GBH.

Officers worked extremely hard to ensure that the best evidence was gathered and worked well in the team to ensure that CPS were able to make a charging decision.

This was a complex investigation with several significant safeguarding challenges. The file was well prepared, and a charge was successfully obtained from CPS with a remand for attempt murder.

You demonstrated a selfless commitment to safeguard not just the victim, but the broader public at large. This was an excellent piece of work.  Unfortunately, Inspector Dicken and Constable Nuttell are unable to join us this evening. Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to DC Matthew Warwick.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

D/Sergeant Paul Gurney (picture one)

DC James Wood (picture two)

DC Andy Hill

DC Laura Feeney (picture three)

Dc Darren Enderby (picture four)

DC Jodie Ebdale

This commendation relates to Op Historic, a series of commercial burglaries.

The offender had been evasive and was suspected of several commercial burglaries in Spalding. The evidence led to him eventually being arrested and charged.

These involved officers carrying out some quick time enquiries to help push the case over the evidential threshold for charge.

The male was ultimately charged with five commercial burglaries, one dwelling burglary, theft of motor vehicle and possession of an offensive weapon plus several driving offences. He was remanded pending a court date.

This was an example of a fine piece of teamwork between CID, Response and NPT. This result was only achieved following your commitment, resilience, and determination. This was an excellent piece of work. 

Unfortunately, DC Andy Hill and DC Jodie Ebdale are unable to join us this evening. Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to D/Sergeant Paul Gurney, Sergeant Joe Cady, DC James Wood, DC Laura Feeney, DC Darren Enderby and DC Sarah Draper.

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

A/D/Inspector Heidi McAdam (picture one)

D/Inspector Colin Clarkson (picture two)

Constable James Latto (picture three)

Janeen Harding (picture four)

This commendation relates to the investigation of a dangerous sex offender who had absconded from North Sea Camp (HMP).

This was a critical incident and there was risk attached to the investigation. This was a wide-ranging investigation with significant national media coverage and a highly pressured, fast-moving and complex incident to manage.

As a result of the hard work of the team the sex offender is no longer at large. This had a massive impact on everyone, from the broader public to local communities who were concerned for their safety, through to the victims and their families who were affected by him being at large once more.

This was an excellent piece of work and Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to A/D/Inspector Heidi McAdam, D/Inspector Colin Clarkson, Constable James Latto and Janeen Harding.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

A/Sergeant K Carroll (picture one)

Constable S Walsh (picture two)

In December 2020 reports were received of a badly damaged car and a lady who was possibly pregnant and who had been assaulted.

Constables  Carroll and Walsh deployed to the scene and were confronted by many members of the public who were clearly agitated.  As they approached the scene, they could see a male holding a lump hammer in his right hand and a sharp bladed spade in his left. He appeared to be angry and was shouting at the gathered crowd.

Despite other officers joining, Constables  Carroll and Walsh put themselves in danger by putting themselves between the male and members of the public where they managed to take the weapons from the male. He was highly intoxicated and was looking for the offenders who had assaulted his pregnant wife.

It was clear from the scene that his intention was to harm those who had hurt his wife, but they managed to defuse the situation and stop anyone else from being injured.  Constables  Carroll and Walsh’s actions clearly stopped the incident from escalating into what could have been a serious assault or even a fatal incident. The male received a caution for possession of an offensive weapon and a S5 public order offence.

Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to A/Sergeant Kathryn Carroll and Constable Shannon Walsh.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

Constable Robert Higgins

This commendation relates to high-risk domestic offences committed by a 22-year-old male against a 17-year-old victim.

PC Higgins pulled all offences together into one investigation.

The perpetrator ignored a restraining order and embarked on a campaign of harassment against the victim and her family. His offending escalated in both severity and frequency.

PC Higgins worked with partner agencies to highlight to the courts that the perpetrator, due to the nature of his offending could not be managed in the community and custody was required.

Constable Higgins diligently and expeditiously investigated each offence, compiled the required evidence, and assembled the case file. He also reassured the victim and the family and kept in regular contact throughout monitoring the risk and ensuring sufficient safeguarding was in place to protect them.

The perpetrator was arrested hiding under a bed at his terminally ill and vulnerable grandparents’ house. The male was remanded to court, he pleaded guilty to all offences and at Crown Court was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, also receiving a five-year restraining order preventing him from continuing his behaviour towards the victim.

This was an excellent piece of work and Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to Constable Robert Higgins.

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

Constable Wales nee Topham

In January 2020 a 12-year-old girl was knocked down by a car while she crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing on Newmarket in Louth. The girl was left in the road having suffered some significant injuries. The driver of the car failed to stop at the scene.

Despite appeals for information in the media and the incident being talked about locally for several weeks after the event, there was a distinct lack of information forthcoming and very little readily available evidence.

Constable Wales took on the enquiry and interrogated CCTV from multiple sources.  She gradually managed to tie the CCTV to various pieces of information that had been provided. These enquiries led to a specific vehicle and suspect being identified.

The suspect was arrested and denied the offence repeatedly in his first interview, denying all knowledge of the collision.

However, in a subsequent interview, the suspect eventually buckled, and admitted that he had been the driver of the vehicle that had hit the girl.

The Crown Prosecution Service went on to authorise the raising of a summons for the suspect for Causing Serious Injury by Dangerous Driving and he was subsequently convicted.

They were given 12 months’ imprisonment and a three and a half year driving ban.

This was a painstaking enquiry, but Constable Wales displayed dogged determination and an incredible eye for fine detail which led to the suspect ultimately having no choice but to admit his wrongdoing which led to his imprisonment.

This was an excellent piece of work which demonstrated a thorough and tenacious investigation.  Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to Constable Keri Wales nee Topham.

 

 

AREA COMMANDER’S COMMENDATION

Police Community Support Officer N Newell

PCSO Newell was involved in partnership work for a female with very complex and challenging needs. Naomi’s nonstop effort in supporting this resulted in a massive reduction in calls for service and the ability for the community effected to be able to live peaceful lives without being victimised.

Naomi achieved in partnership with others both internally and externally in a relatively short period, something that the local Boston NPT team have been attempting to do over several years. Naomi was able to gain a good rapport with her, support and promote the recovery around her mental health, while challenging and enforcing a Criminal Behaviour Order  obtained by the local neighbourhood policing team prior to her being adopted by the Integrated Offender Management.  This has prevented ongoing criminal conduct and distress caused to neighbouring properties/residents. It is even more commendable that this was achieved while the country was in a pandemic which has seriously restricted the traditional policing options available.

Chief Superintendent Anderson is pleased to present the Area Commander’s Commendation to PCSO Naomi Newell.