By Isle of Wight Observer
Superintendent Sarah Jackson has praised members of the public and the officers under her command for their work to help people on the Isle of Wight.
Police officers, police community support officers (PCSO’s), cadets, police staff, and the public were all recognised at the district commander’s awards ceremony at Newport Congregational Church on Tuesday 24 April.
Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney and Lord Lt of the Isle of Wight, Major General Martin White presented long service awards to five officers and four Royal Humane Society awards to officers and members of the public.
The Chief Constable also presented attestation certificates to five Police Cadets, and Supt Jackson handed out a silver award to one of the cadets.
Members of the public and a number of other officers were then presented with awards for their outstanding work by District Commander, Superintendent Sarah Jackson.
They included:
On Tuesday 6 June 2017 we received a concern for welfare call for a man at the top of Culver Down. Specialist teams were deployed to search for the man
In the meantime 25 year-old Pauline Cake and her bulldog Ernie were walking along Culver Down towards Yaverland. Ernie found a bag and then directed Miss Cake towards the man who was hiding in bushes. Miss Cake recognised his distressed state and spoke to him. The man tried to run towards the cliff edge so Miss Cake grabbed hold of him and persuaded the man to stop trying to evade the officers looking for him and to go with her to speak to them.
Miss Cake could have walked past the man without intervening, but her assistance helped to potentially prevent serious injuries or a long and complicated search for a missing person in the area.
On Tuesday 27 June 2017 we received a report that an 82 year-old man who was visiting the Isle of Wight with his family had gone missing. Officers were concerned that the man, who suffered from dementia, may be confused and not recognise where he was. An appeal was issued on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook.
While officers were searching for the man Ms Helen Woodford saw the appeal and made a decision to leave her home to look for him as well. The 66 year-old drove around the area and located him in Bembridge after double-checking the photograph she had seen on Facebook. Ms Woodford sat the man in her car to keep him safe and called police, it was clear he was extremely vulnerable and unable to look after himself.
Ms Woodford’s actions helped to ensure the man, who could have come to serious harm, was returned to his family safe and well.
PC Justin Pringle is a member of the Neighbourhood Policing Team on the Isle of Wight. Justin has built strong links with schools in the Cowes area and other partner agencies. He has established and maintained a regular partnership safeguarding meeting ensuring the correct organisations jointly focus on managing the wellbeing and offending of young people. His commitment to the role and the introduction of beat surgeries for pupils, teachers, and parents, has benefitted the community. Cowes Enterprise College has also praised Justin for the educational work he undertakes around online safety.
Police Sergeant Kevin Butcher and Detention Officer Gary Thorne both work in the custody suite at Newport Police Station. They identified that custody can be a challenging environment for young people and that a clearer understanding of the custody process by teenagers could also prevent some reoffending.
Both have used their free time and worked with the Youth Offending Team to identify young people who have exhibited the potential for arrest. When they’re not on duty they then escort young people and families into the custody area and talk them through the arrest process and potential outcomes. They also explain with parents who attend what would be required of them should their child be arrested. The scheme has already been highlighted to other Youth Offending Teams as an example of best practice.
Following the awards ceremony Superintendent Sarah Jackson said: “I’m delighted that we have taken this opportunity to recognise the hard work and achievements of my officers and members of the police family, but I think the contributions made by members of the public have been just as important in keeping our community on the Island safe.
“It’s also important to recognise that we do not work in isolation. The partnership approach taken by officers including; PC Pringle, PS Butcher, and DO Thorne, who have given up their free time to help young people, is at the heart of successfully ensuring positive outcomes for members of the public that we come into contact with.
“Each recipient of these awards should be proud of their achievements. I’d like to personally thank each and every one of them for their contribution to the community on the Isle of Wight”.
