South Yorkshire Police awards honour officers and staff for bravery, commitment and leadership

The ceremony, held at the Crowne Plaza Royal Victoria Hotel in Sheffield, saw frontline officers, PCSOs, police staff and volunteers pick up awards including Colleague of the Year, Investigator of the Year and Police Officer of the Year for their efforts,

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The event also recognised bravery and victim care as well as the efforts of the public, volunteers and the Special Constabulary.

A total of 17 awards were presented, with senior officers, local politicians and family members in the audience.

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Amongst the winners was student officer PC Sarah Harper, who was commended for her bravery at the first road traffic collision she had ever been deployed to, where she pulled a woman from a burning vehicle to rescue her.

The Police Officer of the Year went to Barnsley PC Inderpal Sandhu, who was described as always going ‘above and beyond’ during his 15 years of service.

Doncaster’s ‘Fortify Team’, which is tackling serious organised crime in Mexborough, scooped Team of the Year, whilst Woodseats E Rota picked up Response Team of the Year.

There was also recognition for liquor licensing manager John O’Malley and HR specialist Kim Williams.

The Community Spirit Award went to Sheffield street pastor Bobbie Walker.

Assistant Chief Constable Lauren Poultney said: “We have had a fantastic evening, honouring the hard work and dedication of so many of our officers and members of police staff.

“The purpose of these awards was to recognise bravery, commitment and passion, which our winners have in bucket-loads. All of our finalists were worthy of winning, but those taking home the trophies demonstrated the very best that South Yorkshire Police has to offer.

“One of the most exciting moments of the evening was the Community Spirit Award, which went to the fantastic Bobbie Walker, a woman who has dedicated her whole life to helping others. She is a force for good and an inspiration to all of us.

“People like Bobbie mean we can do our job better, so it was right that we included an award that focuses on community endeavours.”

The Lifetime Achievement award honoured Special Constable Michael Dobson, who is due to retire in January after 28 years of voluntary service with the force.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson praised officers and staff and thanked them for helping the force be ranked as the most improved for the third year running.

He said: “It is some time since South Yorkshire Police held an awards ceremony and I have been determined that, once again, we celebrate the hard work, dedication and bravery of our officers and staff.

“The police service continues to be a demanding and challenging environment in which to work, and I’m delighted that we are formally recognising and thanking those that have made an outstanding contribution to our community.

“I am privileged to lead South Yorkshire Police. Ours is a positive story and we are embarked on a journey where we take out force from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ and it is clear that ours is a force which has no shortage of committed, talented and capable officers and staff who are passionately committed to the communities they police.”