Force recognises police staff for exceptional long service
Devon & Cornwall Police has recognised the long service of its police staff, who have served its communities for 30 or 40 years, at a special awards ceremony, the first of its kind for the Force.
The awards acknowledged the outstanding commitment to public service of our long-serving police staff, who have supported the Force and the communities of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in a wide range of roles.
Chief Constable Will Kerr said: “I was delighted to learn more about the wide variety of roles and the incredible depth of experience and knowledge of those recognised at this prestigious awards ceremony. It is wonderful to witness such a diversity of staff and career growth. It also acts as a reminder of the exceptional work so many police staff undertake every day, some of which is unseen by members of the public.
“A common thread when reading each citation is the outstanding commitment, performance, professionalism, collaboration, tolerance and compassion they have demonstrated throughout their exceptional service. I am proud to have celebrated this with them and would like to thank them all for their long service.”
During the ceremony, 40 members of police staff were honoured for their outstanding careers in a range of roles and departments, including:
- Sara Lee: Sara joined the Force in 1989 and works within the Alliance Business Change Team. She has been at the forefront of business change, progressing throughout her career to deliver fantastic local and regional projects. She represents the organisation’s conscience; she challenges the status quo, ensures value for money and keeps the Force focused on what it is trying to achieve. Sara has a vast knowledge of the organisation and, alongside her skills and experience, has been a tremendous support to her colleagues. She is always there to listen and help others in need, professionally and personally.
- Vashti Pearce has served for 40 years and has worked in various roles, including Crime Prevention Officer, Police Community Management Officer and Specialist Problem Solving. During this time, Vashti has developed several problem-solving initiatives, including Mind the Gap, which helps to work with partner agencies to support low/medium risk complex service users who cause high demand. She has also comprehensively reviewed over 1,000 problem-solving plans and represented the Force at regional events. One of Vashti’s most impressive accomplishments was creating a video aimed at supporting police employees after the loss of a colleague or loved one to suicide.
- Sergeant Dave Green has served our communities for 30 years. He worked as a response officer and within neighbourhood policing for many years before developing the leadership unit at the training college. Dave has supported officers as a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioner since 2008 and an informal support system for misconduct investigations since 2015. He was crucial in establishing the Force’s Misconduct Peer Support Scheme. He is now the Alliance Health and Wellbeing Team Sergeant, overseeing various wellbeing activities, such as TRiM, the Mental Health Peer Support Scheme, resilience training, and Mental Health for Managers training.
If you are interested in starting your fulfilling career as a Police Officer or one of our many Police Staff opportunities, please have a look through our recruitment website: Recruitment:- DC Police and Dorset Police - Dorset Police and Devon & Cornwall Police working in Partnership (devon-cornwall.police.uk)
