Winners in the eight categories of the Policing Awards ...

Designed to recognise and honour the commitment of officers and police staff across the organisation, Inspector Trevor McKeown was one of three police officers from G District to win one of the eight categories. The other two were Sergeant David McIlwaine, from Castlederg, who won the Personal Policing Service Award, and Sergeant Ricky McClelland, Strabane, who won the Professional Policing Service Award.

The winners were announced at a gala awards ceremony in Ballymena and District Commanders, departmental heads and residents from local communities submitted nominations for the categories.

Chief Superintendent Chris Noble, of the PSNI Service Improvement Department, said: “The Policing with the Community Awards have become a regular date in the policing calendar. They allow us to showcase the dedication and professionalism of the Police Service to the wider community while also allowing police officers and staff to celebrate the achievements of their colleagues.

“The Awards are community-focussed, which is reflective of the model of policing that we in the Police Service of Northern Ireland have adopted. Those who have received Awards today have shown commitment and dedication to the lives of local people within their local areas.

“We know that engagement, partnership and service delivery are critical to how we tackle crime and disorder and deliver personal, professional and protective policing, and that public confidence in policing improves when we address local priorities and work in partnership to find solutions to them. Today we have seen and heard many examples of this during the Awards.”

Congratulating the Award winners, Justice Minister David Ford said: “I want to congratulate all those who have won awards. Each winner has shown great commitment to delivering a safer, more confident and peaceful Northern Ireland.

“This ethos of policing with the community is the very foundation of the PSNI. It is a thread that runs throughout the organisation. Each and every day they work with and within, local communities for us all.

Policing with the Community underpins the Police Service’s challenging purpose, vision and values. These annual Awards pay tribute to the police officers, police staff and organisations within the community who, by working in partnership, are solving crime problems, reducing crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.

All districts were given the opportunity to nominate across the eight categories, eligible candidates who best met the criteria for each Award category.

The public were invited to submit nominations in the Police Officer and the Neighbourhood Policing Team of the year categories.

Each category was judged by a panel of Police Service, Northern Ireland Policing Board and independent representatives.