Gwent Police Community Support Officers shortlisted for national awards

Four Gwent PCSOs have been shortlisted for national awards commemorating 20 years of police community support officers.

The vital role of PCSO was introduced in 2002 by the Police Reform Act and since then PCSOs have since established themselves as the cornerstone of neighbourhood policing in England and Wales.

To honour this milestone, Unison, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) are hosting an award ceremony to celebrate the PCSOs who have gone over and above in their roles.

Out of more than 300 nominations across all forces in England and Wales, four Gwent PCSOs have been shortlisted in three categories:

PCSO Tarik Chaudhry – community engagement

PCSO Chaudhry has been nominated for his hard work and continued commitment to the community of Cwmbran.

Working alongside key stakeholders and partners, Tarik is an approachable uniformed presence in the community offering reassurance, improving confidence and trust, and fostering good community relations.

From attending and arranging engagement events to working with underrepresented groups PCSO Chaudhry is a key link between the neighbourhood team, Diversity and Inclusion team and other key departments within Gwent Police.

PCSOs Deke Williams and Alex Donne – innovation

PCSO Williams and PCSO Donne are instrumental in running NXTGen, Gwent Police’s youth engagement team and are responsible for the police cadets and Heddlu Bach (the mini police).

Deke and Alex have developed innovative programmes such as use Minecraft to teach pupils about online safety and working with the police cadets create a board game which shows the role of the emergency services in a fun and informative way.

PCSO Elliot Williams – problem solving

PCSO Williams has embraced problem-solving methods and anti-social behaviour tools to reduce demand in his area and on the local neighbourhood policing team.

Elliot has been instrumental in the development of a tasking group with partner agencies including local councillors, social landlords, local authority and third sector organisations.

As well as building trust and a strong rapport with the local community, PSCO Williams has implemented key actions to tackle anti-social behaviour including tasking community safety wardens and organising diversionary activities such as sporting events and day trips with youth services.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said: “PCSOs are a vital part of Gwent Police, playing a crucial role in protecting and reassuring our communities.

“While the policing landscape has changed over the last 20 years, PCSOs have been a consistent, engaging presence, building trust and making our communities safer and stronger.

“This anniversary allows us to celebrate the importance of the PCSO role and I’m proud that four of our PCSOs have been recognised for the value they bring to Gwent.”

MS Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice said: ‘‘For more than 20 years PCSOs have played a central role in policing in Wales, working at the heart of our communities to help keep people safe.

“I am pleased that today’s event recognises and celebrates the commitment of our PCSOs and their very many achievements.

“I personally wish to pay tribute to our PCSOs for the vitally important and often challenging work they do.”

The award ceremony is taking place on Thursday 12 January.