Devon & Cornwall Police News site

On Friday 3 February, Deputy Chief Constable Jim Colwell hosted an awards ceremony at Powderham Castle, near Exeter, to celebrate the long service of officers and staff.

He was joined by Stephen Pearce QPM, Deputy Lieutenant for Devon, as well as by colleagues and representatives from across the force.

The citations were read by Chief Superintendent Jo Hall.

Some of those to be recognised are listed below.

Police Constable Stephen Cruwys

After having served in the Royal Artillery, 50 Missile Regiment, Steve began his career as a police officer in August 2002, on a response section in Exeter.

He was an excellent response officer, his pro-activity coupled with his impressive driving skill saw him crewing the incident car very early on in his career.

In 2006, Steve joined the dog section and was allocated a dog called Razor but had to be retired early and Steve was allocated a dog called Logan. Logan was an incredible dog and was trained in the role of a firearms support dog. Logan bravely detained a house burglar, following a track and a chase across a river. Steve also competed at police dog trials with Logan, winning the force trials in 2010, and competing at regional level on two occasions.

Steve was one of the first officers on the scene of the bombing of the Giraffe restaurant in Exeter in 2008 and has been commended on many occasions.

Steve has worked two further general-purpose police dogs Nato and Lenny.

Steve spent a short time away from the police dog section, qualifying as an advanced driver during that time. He couldn’t stay away and returned to the Dog Section in 2021 to become the Dog Legislation Officer for Devon. He completed the DLO course which qualifies Steve to identify banned breeds and deal with matters involving the often-complex dog legislation of England and Wales. Steve is one of the most experienced dog handlers in the force.

Police Community Support Officer Juliet Cullen

Juliet joined the Criminal Justice Unit (CJU) of Devon and Cornwall Police in October 2002.

Juliet juggled the challenge of a new role with family commitments. Juliet learnt a vast amount in the five years she worked in CJU; assisting officers to complete files, gathering information, and using the force computer systems. Juliet met many wonderful colleagues during this time and had a hand in the development of some officers’ careers.

In April 2007 it was time for a change and another colleague went for the role of PCSO and suggested Juliet did the same. Initially Juliet laughed, thinking she would not be suitable for the role. Being a positive individual, Juliet spent hours writing the lengthy application and submitted it, hoping for the best. Juliet was successful in the application process.

Fifteen years on, Juliet has shown that her successful selection as a PCSO was not by chance. She has proven to be exceptionally capable in a role which requires compassion, commitment and good humour; qualities Juliet displays daily and in abundance.

Juliet is a highly respected member of Exeter Neighbourhood Policing Team, in the words of another officer: “she is one of the most helpful, kindest, slightly cheeky people I know.  She has a vast knowledge of her job as a PSCO and has taught me a lot."

Police Community Support Officer Darren England

Darren England joined Devon and Cornwall Police as a PCSO in January 2003.  Darren was one of the original 20 PCSOs employed by Devon and Cornwall Police. 

Originally posted to Honiton Police Station, it is a testament to Darren’s dedication to this role that he remains the Honiton PCSO.

Darren attended Honiton Community College and had several jobs prior to joining Devon and Cornwall Police, including as an apprenticeship as a mechanic and in a role as a baker locally, the last job he had prior to embarking on his career as a PCSO.

Darren has seen a lot of changes during his distinguished career.  He has survived at least 10 Sergeants and five Sector Inspectors and has lost count of the amount of Neighbourhood Beat Managers he was worked with!

Darren is a well-loved character in Honiton and it appears that everyone in the town knows him.

Darren is passionate about neighbourhood policing and is known as someone who will go above and beyond to support community engagement opportunities, often leaving the confines of his patch.  Recently he acquired sponsorship for a tractor which is covered with police livery.  The tractor has been used across Devon at shows, accompanied by Darren, and has proven to be a useful tool for engaging with the farming community. 

Darren is widely respected by his peers, colleagues, supervisors’ past and present.  He maintains high levels of enthusiasm and professionalism and is a complete role model for anyone who aims to have a long policing career. 

Detective Constable Kathryn Harris

Kathryn Harris joined Devon and Cornwall Police in 2002 and enjoyed the buzz of response policing, however her calling as a skilled detective began to crystallise when she worked on the Child Protection Team. 

Soon after Kathryn joined the Sexual Offences and Domestic Abuse Investigation Team (SODAIT) dealing with serious sexual assaults and domestic violence. Kathryn quickly proved herself as a highly regarded investigator, showing undoubted potential to be a detective. Shortly after her DC accreditation, her potential was spotted, and she was ‘headhunted’ as the ideal candidate to be assigned to a complex Child Sex Exploitation operation.

She has flourished as the OIC, balancing an ongoing complex investigation featuring multiple victims, witnesses and suspects. Kathryn’s undoubted ability to communicate and empathise has meant she has achieved the trust of multiple vulnerable youths who previously would never speak to police let alone engage in such a sensitive operation. She is highly respected by professional partners who she has co-ordinated to provide safeguarding for the victims.

This became more challenging in 2018 when a key suspect was identified as committing a series of predatory rapes in Plymouth’s night-time economy. Kathryn should take huge credit for her tenacious investigation which resulted in the suspect being sentenced to 28 years. Kathryn’s professionalism was recognised by both the trial Judge and a Chief Superintendent’s Commendation.