Dozens of police officers and staff have been commended for an array of achievements – from showing courage in emergency situations to protecting the public and securing justice for victims.
The Chief Constable’s Commendations took place on Tuesday evening (18 June) at a ceremony held at Nottinghamshire Police’s headquarters in Arnold.
The event recognised more than 70 officers and staff who have gone above and beyond to help make Nottinghamshire a safer place to live, work and visit.
Four members of the public also received commendations for showing bravery and heroism in emergency situations.
Each commendation was a reflection of the Nottinghamshire Police Proud to Serve Pledge and commitment to excellence, which include:
- To fight crime, protect vulnerable individuals, and ensure our communities feel safe and listened to;
- To serve with pride, compassion and integrity;
- To earn the trust and confidence of our communities, improve victim outcomes, and develop a workforce fit for the future;
- To deliver an outstanding service we can all be proud of.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell praised all the recipients for their outstanding investigations and achievements. She said:
“It was an immense privilege to recognise and celebrate the outstanding commitment, perseverance and determination in difficult circumstances of so many colleagues.
“I’m incredibly proud and humbled to hear the amazing stories and incredible acts of bravery – including from members of the public – and I’d like to personally thank each and every one of them for their actions and contribution.
“We have made a firm commitment to fighting crime, protecting vulnerable people and ensuring our communities feel safe and listened to, and those receiving commendations should all be proud of their achievements and the difference they have made to local communities.
“It was therefore a great honour to celebrate and recognise the incredible work of so many inspiring people.”
The commendation winners included:
PC Holly Gascoyne, PC Dan Abey, Detective Constable Tracey Marshall, Sergeant Zoey Price, Sergeant James Carrington, PC Rose Barton, PC John Cross, PC Charlotte Watts and PC Theo Denton – for their exemplary level of service and support to a young rape victim. The hard work put in by all of the officers ensured that a dangerous offender was identified, arrested and put behind bars.
Sergeant Andrew Foulds – for intervening in a road rage incident while driving home from a busy shift. After observing a driver get out of his vehicle and punch another driver in the face, Sgt Foulds put himself in harm’s way to prevent the incident escalating further. The victim and his wife were so grateful for Sgt Foulds’ intervention that they personally wrote to the Chief Constable to document their thanks.
Inspector Hayley Crawford – for her dedication to building trust and confidence in communities and for her outstanding work to reduce violence against women and girls by addressing issues head on and creating solutions such as the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign. Hayley’s colleagues and team members admire her tenacity in tackling sensitive and complex issues, as she navigates them with grace and determination.
PC Dan Butler, PC Jonathon Lee, PC Nick Johnston, PC Stevie Dolan and PC Paul Henson – for displaying bravery and resilience when a suspect discharged a firearm over their heads. In the face of such extreme criminality, the officers methodically completed their task to a high standard. Their work meant that the offender was safely apprehended and put before the courts.
Emily Patterson – for going beyond her role as an apprentice to help victims of child sexual exploitation. Since joining Nottinghamshire Police in 2022, referrals to the force’s Youth Outreach programme have drastically increased – such is the impact Emily has when engaging with young people affected by abuse.
Romel Davis, Emily Patterson, Sophie Wheeler and Matthew Stollery – for going above and beyond in their work on Nottinghamshire Police’s Live Our Best Lives Awards. The four showed a level of commitment and determination that ensured the ceremony was a huge success and helped break down barriers between the police and young people.
PC Jack Grace – for displaying bravery and selflessness to help a distressed woman and bring her to safety. By entering the water at Kings Mill Reservoir, PC Grave put aside any regard for his own welfare to save a person’s life.
Sergeant Joshua Lee-Taylor, Sergeant Karl Wilson, PC Shane Adams, PC James McKeown, PC Yat Cheung, PC Gez Hornsby, PC Ronnie Landa, PC James Marr and PC Danielle Mistrella – for their hard work and professional response when deployed to a football match in Birmingham that was marred by serious crowd disorder. Five police officers, two police dogs and two police horses were injured in the unprecedented violence involving Legia Warsaw supporters, resulting in 46 arrests.
Sergeant Louise Ellis – for her work within the City Centre Operation Reacher team to reduce shop thefts. Due to the volume of reports, a new streamlined model was created in partnership with the CPS and stakeholders. This model is now promoted as best practice by the National Retail Crime Advisory Group, helping shape how retail crime is policed across the country.
Sergeant Gavin Skevington – for his work in aiding the police service’s neurodiverse community. Sgt Skevington is passionate about helping others, offers support to colleagues and works to develop a workforce fit for the future. By sharing his own experiences, Sgt Skevington has broken down barriers and enables colleagues to feel supported in seeking help for neurodiverse conditions.
PC Thomas Griffith and PC Alfie Russell – for acting swiftly and risking their own safety to save a woman’s life. Both officers displayed exemplary communication, investigation and observation skills to prevent the woman falling from a bridge as she became increasingly unwell.
Sergeant Rachel Dowsett, PC Luke Bayliss, PC Andy Carter, PC Louise McClue, PC Mitchell Lewis, PC Graham Thompson, PC Sophie Patterson-Lees, PC Nicola Garrow, PC Matthew Head, PC Ami Minto and PC Rory Simpson – for working together to ensure members of the community were brought to safety during Storm Babet. All officers demonstrated compassion and tenacity to safely evacuate more than 500 residents.
Annamarie Hendry, Petra Lane, Sergeant Anthony Faulkner, Sergeant Richard Hallam, PC Richard Hardy, PC Richard Elliot, PC Gareth Dennett, PC Alasdair Gordon and PC Daniel Gilmour-Jones – for working quickly and effectively in challenging circumstances to locate a suicidal woman, before ensuring she received advanced first aid that ultimately saved her life.
PC Alyse Jones – For her quick-thinking and courageous actions whilst off duty to save the life of a toddler, who’d become seriously ill after falling from a chair and hitting their head on a hard surface. Without Alyse’s immediate action and first aid skills, the outcome could have been gravely different.
PC Hannah Woods, PC Michael Appleton, PC Aron Oszko, PC Ben Price, PC Tom Munday, PC Paramjit Badwal, PC Sophie Lee, PC Stephen Harrison, Inspector Andrew Wright and Sergeant Gary McGovern – for displaying utmost professionalism when responding to a fatal house fire in Clifton, which claimed the lives of a mother and her two young children. Each officer played a key role in the crucial hours that followed, including collating evidence, guarding and preserving the scene and setting up safe evacuations for nearby properties. Their actions helped ensure that the man responsible for the fire received a life sentence.
Detective Constable Jo Wilkinson – for her commitment and dedication to protecting the public, having worked within the force’s Management Of Sexual Or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) department for 16 years. She is highly dedicated to the management of offenders and in addition to her main role, has recently helped design a training package that will enable Nottinghamshire Police to become the regional lead in this area.
Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, Detective Sergeant Steve Eley, Detective Constable Neil Pagan, Detective Constable Clare Easter, Investigation Officer Helen Evans, Detective Constable Daniel Akehurst, Investigation Officer Phil Cumberpatch, DS Karl Aram, Lead Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC and Junior Prosecutor Barrister Laura Pitman – for their work on an extremely challenging investigation into the death of a three-year-old boy. The team went above and beyond to collate evidence to ensure charges were authorised in what was a deeply distressing case. The determination and thoroughness of the team was of the highest standard and resulted in the child’s stepmother receiving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
