Derbyshire police heroes surprised with trophies at work

Police officers, staff and volunteers in Derbyshire have been surprised with awards this month for their outstanding work and dedication.
Special sergeant David Holmes was surprised with the 'Special Constable of the Year' award.Special sergeant David Holmes was surprised with the 'Special Constable of the Year' award.
Special sergeant David Holmes was surprised with the 'Special Constable of the Year' award.

Derbyshire Constabulary typically holds ceremonies whereby nominees are invited to attend with their families to find out who has won and to receive their certificates or trophies.

The force cancelled the 2020 ceremonies due to coronavirus but this month were able to present awards in a ‘Covid-secure’ way, either virtually or by a senior officer surprising the winner at their place of work.

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Masks and social distancing didn’t dampen the mood and each winner was happy to discover they had won.

Many awards were given – including ‘Special Constable of the Year’, which was won by special sergeant David Holmes, who volunteers his time with the force to improve road safety for bikers.

He said: “I’ve been a motorcyclist for years and part of my reason for joining the force was a passion for traffic section and more specifically, keeping people alive and this seemed like the obvious glue between the biker and police world.

"I’ve been here for four years and I have loved it, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

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The ‘Investigator of the Year’ award went to detective staff investigator Jason Beardsley, who was surprised during an online meeting with his team.

Jason was praised for his dedication, can-do attitude and the outstanding investigation he did on a serious sexual assault case earlier this year.

Chief constable Rachel Swann said: “Recognising the hard work and dedication of our staff is so important but this year, we needed to think of a new way to present our winners with their awards.

“I’m pleased to say that we managed to surprise recipients by telling them they had won during a virtual meeting, or delivering their awards to them at their police station or while on patrol.

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“I am proud of all our award winners and nominees, who continue to go the extra mile for our communities during what has been a particularly challenging year for everyone.”Watch a few of the surprise award reveals at https://youtu.be/pg26crOyVU0.

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