Special recognition for South Wales Police Special Constable officers

THE SPECIAL Constabulary Awards took place on Sunday, (Jun 2), 2019 at Coed y Mwstwr Hotel, Bridgend.  The event was organised and delivered entirely by the Special Constabulary including sourcing sponsorship.

45 officers from the Special Constabulary attended with their families and friends to receive Special recognition and were awarded for their contribution of hours and service and dedication to the Force. 

Special constables throughout England and Wales are expected to commit to a minimum of 16 hours of volunteer duties per month, which equates to 192 hours per year. 

The contribution of many special constables in South Wales exceeds this requirement, volunteering an average of thirty eight hours per month. These awards recognise the contribution of officers who have completed over 300 hours, 500 hours and 1000 hours over the past year, and offered 7 Special Constabulary Chief Officer Commendations.

Chief Officer for the Special Constabulary Dr Dale Cartwright said: “I am so proud to be able to host these awards to formally recognise the commitment and professionalism demonstrated by Special Constabulary officers. 

“It is so important to thank officers who are highly valued by the Force, and who choose to contribute hundreds of hours each year for the benefit of their local communities. I would also thank their families and friends without whom such achievements would not have been possible.”

“As a Special Constabulary, we are all incredibly proud of each other and our ability to support front line officers.  Forty-five thousand hours were volunteered last year to help us do exactly that – on behalf of South Wales Police – thank you.”

30 special constables were recognised for their contribution of over 300 duty hours, 18 special constables were recognised for their contribution of over 500 duty hours, and three special constables received specials awards for their contribution of over 1000 duty hours this year, that’s 67 hours a month over the required hours. 
 

Seven officers also received Special Constabulary Chief Officer Commendations: 

SC Jordan Lee Chaplin (Grangetown, Butetown and Cardiff Bay patrol area) – Passed by a person in distress and made the right calls for assistance, jointly saving a life.  The person wasn’t known to suffer from mental health issues, and his family thought he was out exercising.

S/Sgt James Briggs 7236 (Roath and Cathays patrol area)  – Trained as a standard  response driver James was able to attend a G1 emergency incident in relation to a man reportedly harming himself.  He attended the incident with SC Ffion Barry and SC Joe Hurley, both probationary SC’s. First on scene, S/Sgt Briggs located the man struggling to breathe. He managed to release the man and called for an ambulance, whilst acting in a Tutorship capacity for his two probationary SC colleagues. The man was later conveyed to UHW and received treatment for underlying medical conditions.

S/Sgt James Briggs 7236 and SC Oliver Glover 7397 (Oliver covers Cardiff Central area)  – Attending a burglary call S/Sgt Briggs and SC Glover a probationary SC came across a hit and run which had occurred just before their arrival. A six year old girl had fallen off her scooter in the road. S/Sgt Briggs was presented with a child with life threatening and horrendous injuries, but immediately co-ordinated an appropriate response by calling additional units, specialist resources and Ambulance whilst directing SC Glover to administer first aid to the injured child. S/Sgt Briggs remained on the scene after the child was conveyed to hospital in order to take witness statements and begin collecting evidence. The driver was later arrested and was later sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from driving for five years.

S/Insp Rob Lewis, SC Joshua Lewis, SC Emily Worgan & SC Liam Williams (Pontypridd based) – On patrol on the Northern BCU SC van – the team of SCs responded to reports of a women threatening to harm herself who they located in a parked car in a rural area. The woman was unconscious and officers provided first aid while an ambulance was called. Unfortunately, the ambulance service could not provide an immediate response and S/Inspector Lewis took the decision to blue light the woman to the nearest hospital. Due to the woman’s serious and the location of the incident, the actions of this team of officers helped save her life. 

S/Sgt Andrew Suter (Neath and Pontardawe) – On duty as part of the JRU unit in Neath Port Talbot, S/Sgt Suter attended reports of a man threatening to harm himself. S/Sgt Suter calmed the man who then proceeded into the kitchen offering to make S/Sgt Suter and the paramedic a cup of tea. S/Sgt Suter’s quick thinking meant that he followed the man into the kitchen where he found him brandishing a knife. Without a thought for his own safety S/Sgt Suter was able to disarm the man and restrain him until back-up officers arrived. 

Western BCU Joint Response Unit (Swansea and Neath PT) – The Swansea and Neath Port Talbot JRU is an initiative that enables joint patrol of a special constable and paramedic which aims to reduce demand on both police and ambulance resources. Due to the incredible commitment of this team of SCs there has been a 20% reduction in demand in JRU patrols on Friday and Saturday evenings. 

Having worked through a series of ‘on-the-job’ learning exercises and completing a portfolio of policing competencies, these awards also recognised the commitment that 14 officers have shown by achieving Independent Patrol Status.