Custody officer wins award for treating suspects with ‘respect and dignity’

A custody officer who “never loses his cool” and goes the extra mile to help suspects in need of support has scooped an award.   

Detention Officer Sam Stevens (pictured) and his colleagues are the first point of contact for people entering custody, ensuring they are safely managed following their arrest.

Often there is challenging behaviour to deal with – but DO Stevens has a reputation for descaling situations with his calm and friendly persona.

Most of his 12-hour shifts are at Mansfield Custody Suite, where he goes above and beyond what is expected of a detention officer.

Such is the impression he’s made during his four years in the custody team, he was recently crowned Nottinghamshire Police’s Detention Officer of the Year Award for Maurice Rigley.

The award is named in honour of Maurice Rigley, a 41-year-old detention officer who was driving a prison service vehicle in April 1991 when it was involved in a collision on the M1 motorway. The Nottinghamshire Police officer died as a result of his injuries when a lorry travelling in the opposite direction lost control and passed through the central reservation.

Sergeant Mark Stacey, who nominated DO Stevens for the award, described him as a “true asset” to Nottinghamshire Police. He said:

“Sam treats everyone who comes into custody with respect and dignity. He never loses his cool and has the ability, with his verbal communication skills, to diffuse some of the most aggressive and difficult detainees.

“This prevents any use of force having to be used, enabling the custody sergeants to obtain the necessary details from detainees so that a risk assessment can be conducted and the appropriate level of care applied.

“He goes to the cells and spends time with the detainees, listening to their concerns and issues before offering them advice or signposting them to the relevant agency for support.

“He also undertakes some really unpleasant tasks without any fuss and without being tasked by a sergeant.

“He seeks no recognition and just gets the job done.”

Chief Inspector Lisa Murray also supported the nomination. She said:

“Not everyone in custody is a bad person and one of the greatest attributes that Sam has is his ability to recognise when somebody is having a difficult time.

“He’ll make sure he talks to them and listens to them and is very genuine. He recognises when people need support. We do have support facilities within custody, but they can only be utilised if somebody picks up on certain signs and Sam does that.

“The role of a detention officer is not easy and Custody needs people like Sam who come in, do the job with a smile on their face, exude team spirit, pull everybody together and are able to keep everything nice and calm.

“He is the perfect detention officer and I’m so pleased that he’s won this award.”

DO Stevens said he was thrilled to win the award. He said:

“I’m just gobsmacked. I wasn’t expecting it. I came into work and saw the email – I was just shocked.

“Obviously it means a lot to me. All detention officers do a hard job so they all deserve this award in my opinion.

“It’s nice to be recognised. The role of a detention officer is to look after the welfare of anyone who comes into custody and that’s what I try to do.

“We’re not here to judge anyone and it’s important to look past the allegations that’s led to them being in custody, as they haven’t been charged or convicted at that stage.

“It’s simply a case of treating people fairly and looking after their welfare and needs while they’re in custody.”

More information about this year’s Force Awards winners can be found here: Winners of Nottinghamshire Police Force Awards announced | Nottinghamshire Police