Officers praised at local commander event for Cheltenham and Tewkesbury

Police celebrated officers and staff members primarily working in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury who have gone above and beyond for their communities.

The Local Commander Awards ceremony, which took place last Friday (1 April) and was organised by Superintendent Roddy Gosden, saw eight officers and staff members attend Holland House Police Station where they received Local Policing Area Awards.

PC Lewis Mutton from the Cheltenham Local Policing Team was praised for his determination when investigating a series of non-dwelling burglaries just outside Cheltenham town centre. 

Lewis gathered evidence by attending four locations with Scenes of Crime Officer and found similarities in the methods used.

This allowed him to identify an offender from CCTV footage, conduct further enquires and obtain evidence whilst organised the investigations into individual electronic folders to make it easier for others working investigation. 

He also made attempts to arrest the suspect which goes to show that his tenacity in getting things done is commendable.

Sergeant Bobby George's supportive leadership and diligence was highlighted when he took ownership and conducted a thorough investigation into a complaint against a PC from an offender.

After investigating he was able to establish that the officer’s integrity was not an issue and that money had gone missing from the point of seizure to custody, due to human error.

His extra efforts satisfied the Professional Standards Departments assessment that all reasonable lines of enquiry were complete, and no further action was required, therefore saving the officer from a considerable amount of distress.

Staff member Ange Parker was thanked for the proactive and visionary work she has done with the Aston Project to set-up boxing clubs with an ex-professional boxer.

She engaged with youngsters between the ages of ten and 16-years-old to provide physical exercise under supervision and encouragement for young people to listen to and follow instructions and commands safely. 

The work she has done has helped the youths to develop self-control within a disciplined sport whilst encouraging communication and teamwork.

PC Jill Bundock, from the Tewkesbury Neighbourhood Policing Team, was praised for her hard work, dedication and compassion to the annual Hamper Scamper Christmas present appeal.

Every year she encourages officers to support this great cause and always gives up her own time to ensure that gifts are bought, all the tags are labelled with what the children wished for, that the presents are wrapped and organises delivery to Police HQ.

It is a real effort and she shows absolute dedication and empathy to make a difference to underprivileged children at Christmas.

Louise Boyle received two awards for her dedication to Solace, a joint team that includes officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary, Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucester City Council.

The first, which was joint with Sergeant Ash Shingler from Gloucester, was for determination in going the extra mile to help with the arrests of two people in the London area who were the subjects of a gang injunction.

The pair made calls and sent emails whilst on rest days to arrange the collection and transport of the men, contacted Bristol Crown Court and liaised and prepared a legal team. This diligent work enabled a successful transition and appearance via video link as part of a well prepared court hearing.

Louise's second award was for her incredible work in developing the Solace programme.  

Her enthusiasm, dedication and hard work to promote Solace within the Constabulary, with partners agencies and local communities has been commendable. 

Louise has now taken on a new job role and will be a great loss to the Constabulary and partners.

Acting Sergeant Anna Walter, PC Tanya Adair and PC Ryan McCoubrie from the Tewkesbury Local Policing Team were all thanked for their professionalism and compassion when attending a challenging incident of suicide involving a young female.

The victim’s family and friends were at the address and were very distraught which added another level to dealing with the incident.

Anna showed excellent decision making when one of the people present was known to her which made it especially difficult, even more so when she had also attended two sudden death incidents during the shift.

Tanya was caring and calm whilst speaking with members of the family in very difficult circumstances, and this professionalism will always be remembered by the relatives long after the incident.

Ryan was responsible for managing the scene in very difficult circumstances and his caring and professionalism will also be remembered.

Lizzy Doole from CMIS, the Crime Management Investigation Standards team, was praised for the hard work she does, often going above and beyond to support officers and offer advice, whilst regularly working additional hours to ensure files are ready.

She is an asset to the force and her commitment to your work is commendable. She has a natural talent for investigations and have noticed investigative leads within unused material which would help to prove an offence of coercive and controlling behaviour.

Superintendent Roddy Gosden said: “It was an honour to be able to praise and highlight the good work of my officers and colleagues.

"I have recently taken on the role of Superintendent, after previously being Chief Inspector, and good work like this never goes unnoticed."

Sergeant Bobby George and Superintendent Roddy Gosden

PC Tanya Adair, Superintendent Roddy Gosden and Acting Sergeant Anna Walter

PC Lewis Mutton and Superintendent Roddy Gosden

Louise Boyle and Superintendent Roddy Gosden

Rachel Linton, Ange Parker and Superintendent Roddy Gosden