Nominations open for awards celebrating police volunteers
The countdown to the 2016 Lord Ferrers Awards has begun - the public are invited to nominate inspiring police volunteers for the first time in the event’s 23 year history.
Lord Ferrers Awards recognise the outstanding contribution to local policing made by individuals and teams across 3 different kinds of police volunteer roles: special constables, volunteer police cadets and police support volunteers.
The awards are a chance to celebrate the achievements of police volunteers across England and Wales and members of the public and police forces can now nominate anyone who they think deserves special recognition.
Mike Penning, Minister for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice and Victims, said:
Police volunteers across the country play a vital role in the communities that they serve. Every day they make a selfless contribution to tackling crime and keeping our streets safe.
The Lord Ferrers Awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate their achievements.
I urge members of the public to get involved and nominate police volunteers who they think have made an outstanding contribution to their communities for an award.
Special Inspector John Power of Bedfordshire Police received the Special Award for Achievement through Adversity in 2015. Special Inspector Power overcame cystic fibrosis and a double lung transplant to become the UK’s first ever special constable dog handler.
He said:
I was so excited just to be nominated for the award, so winning was a complete surprise. I’m very grateful, and proud to represent Bedfordshire Police. I’ve been making the most of every opportunity since I had my lung transplant, and this award is the highlight of my work as a special.
Awards like this are vital, because they are a chance to honour the volunteers who give up their time to support front line policing across the UK. I would not have got this far without the support of my managers at Bedfordshire Police, and I’m extremely grateful for their support.
Members of the public have from midnight 30 June until 17 July to make nominations.
The award ceremony will take place in central London in September 2016. Winners will be presented with their awards by Home Office ministers, senior officials and chief police officers.
The 8 categories are:
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Special Constabulary, Individual Award: celebrating special constables who have demonstrated a sustained and significant contribution to policing in their local communities.
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Special Constabulary, Team Award: recognising teams of special constables who have demonstrated a sustained and significant contribution to policing in their local communities
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Police Support Volunteer, Individual Award: celebrating police support volunteers who have demonstrated a significant and sustained contribution to policing in their local communities
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Police Support Volunteer, Team Award: recognising teams who have worked together to make a significant and sustained contribution to policing in their local communities
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Volunteer Police Cadet, Individual Award: celebrating individual volunteer police cadets who have demonstrated a significant and sustained contribution to policing in their local communities
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Volunteer Police Cadet, Team Award: open to teams who have worked together to make a significant and sustained contribution to policing in their local communities
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Employer Supported Policing Award: open to individuals and teams of employees who support their local police force through volunteering; the award recognises the contribution of both volunteers and their employers and will now be open to those accredited under the community safety accreditation scheme
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Leadership Award: open to individual special constables who have demonstrated a significant and sustained contribution to leadership
Previously nominations for Lord Ferrers Awards were made by police forces only. This is the first year that members of the public have been invited to submit nominations.
Last year, the Home Office announced plans to extend the powers of police volunteers so they can play a greater role in policing our communities. Legislation is currently going through Parliament via the Policing and Crime Bill.