Outstanding officers, staff and volunteers recognised at annual awards ceremony

CC Steve Cooper with Police Officer of the Year PC Simon Travell

The winners of this year's Force Awards have been announced – with dozens of police officers, staff and volunteers recognised for their outstanding contributions to policing.

Proud families and VIP guests were among those in attendance as we celebrated the achievements of those serving both on the frontline and behind the scenes.

Opening the ceremony at Sherwood Lodge HQ on Thursday (18 June), Chief Constable Steve Cooper paid tribute to those receiving recognition, hailing their commitment to helping and protecting local communities.

Mr Cooper said:

"Tonight, we gather to celebrate and honour the dedication, commitment, and outstanding service of our staff, officers and volunteers whose contribution to Nottinghamshire Police and the local community is truly inspiring.

"Each award and certificate presented this evening is a reflection of your hard work. It’s not always easy as we miss out on important family events and work long hours while protecting our communities, but we do it because we believe in our vision to deliver a service that we can all be proud of."

CC Steve Cooper speaking at the awards ceremony

A series of articles detailing the inspiring stories of some of this year's winners will be published on our channels over the coming days.

The winners are: 

Police Officer of the Year

PC Simon Travell

Simon is widely recognised as the font of all knowledge in relation to football policing, and has built strong, professional relationships with Nottingham Forest Football Club to ensure the safety and security of fans, staff, and the wider community. His expertise and specialist knowledge have seen him named as the dedicated football officer for the UEFA Europa League where he worked alongside foreign police in the likes of Spain, Austria and the Netherlands to manage crowds, prevent disorder and ensure the safety of thousands who were travelling.

PCSO of the Year

PCSO Lucy Oram

Lucy is a long-serving PCSO who is incredibly passionate about engaging with the community and young people. Over the years she has done a considerable amount of work to build strong bonds with multi-agencies, schools, and local service providers to aid in her work to build lasting and positive relationships between young people and the police.

Team of the Year 

Internet Child Exploitation Team

Beyond their investigative work, the team has gone beyond enforcement to deliver proactive safeguarding advice by creating education packs in collaboration with local authorities and education providers to equip young people with the knowledge to protect themselves and prevent future offending. Individually, members of this team have been recognised for their outstanding work, but every achievement is underpinned by the entire team’s collective strength, shared purpose, and unwavering commitment to protecting children.

Investigator of the Year

Detective Constable Robert McGhee

Robert has continuously taken a victim and evidence led approach to a number of unique and lengthy investigations. He has shown a natural ability to think outside of the box to help an investigation progress and deliver justice for victims and their families.

Investigation of the Year

Operation Amidala

Operation Amidala was an incredibly complex county lines investigation which dismantled an industrial-scale Class A drug supply network. Members of the gang were selling millions of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine to vulnerable addicts using bulk phone messaging and sophisticated marketing techniques. The investigation led to 12 offenders receiving a combined 130 years of imprisonment which would not have been possible without the team’s tireless dedication and relentless efforts.

Ged Walker Award

PC Marta Bugajska, PC William Harbot and PC John Bridgewater

All three officers have been chosen for this award after responding to a highly volatile and escalating incident involving a large-scale street fight with around 80 individuals. These officers were the first to arrive on scene with no other units available, and despite being vastly outnumbered and facing significant risk of harm, they acted without hesitation to deescalate a potentially catastrophic situation.

Staff Members of the Year

Keith Morris and Richard Warsop

Keith has dedicated nearly four decades of exemplary service to our organisation, starting as a network engineer before progressing to lead the networks team and oversee all IS networking operations including ANPR. Richard has also dedicated four decades of service to Nottinghamshire Police, starting his career as a police officer before spending the last five years as our ANPR manager in the Intelligence Unit.

Although from different departments, both Keith and Richard have spearheaded the development and expansion of our ANPR capability, transforming it from a small, localised system into one of the largest and most advanced systems in the country. They have both invested countless hours to ensure the system is robust, scalable, and responsive to our operational needs, and their contribution spans multiple workstreams which they undertake without hesitation.

Certificate of Sustained Excellence

Alison Cotton

Alison has dedicated 31 years of outstanding and unwavering service to Nottinghamshire Police. Her role of organising diaries, briefing colleagues before meetings, and managing various correspondence has been invaluable for divisional commanders and heads of departments.

Outstanding Achievement or Contribution Award

Francis Meylan

Nationally, Francis chairs the National Police Chief’s Council Manual of Guidance for Drink and Drug Driving group, where he played a pivotal role in the design and maintenance of the forms used to conduct evidential and observational tests to support convictions for offenders. With 44 years’ service, Francis continues to use his knowledge to educate other officers, help bring offenders to justice, and ultimately protect victims.

Christopher McDonald Police Cadet of the Year

Cole Mason

Cole has gone above and beyond what is expected of him as a cadet. Since joining in February 2025, he has flourished in a supportive capacity, is always punctual, asks plenty of questions and is an excellent role model for the rest of the group. Outside of cadet sessions, Cole has completed various health and safety qualifications, putting him in good stead to support at cadet events and preparing him for a future career in the emergency services.

Coroner’s Award

Detective Constable Sarah Kirk

Presented by His Majesty’s Coroner for Nottinghamshire, Mairin Casey, DC Kirk was presented with this award for the wonderful support that she gave to the Coroner during a very difficult investigation in relation to the death of a prisoner.

Sports and Social Club’s Sports Person of the Year Award

Joshua Codd

Joshua has been a key figure in Nottinghamshire Police’s Rugby Football Club, featuring in every match during their unbeaten 2024-25 season. It is clear how much he values the sport and the benefits it brings to police officers both on and off the field, and he is a shining example of hard work, selflessness, and sporting excellence.

T/Ch Supt Nick Waldram presented the awards

Chief Constable Steve Cooper said:

"Our annual Force Awards evening is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the fabulous work of those who have gone beyond expectations and made a remarkable difference through their work.

“We heard numerous stories of bravery, commitment, compassion and integrity from across the organisation and it is so important that we recognise these individuals for their exceptional actions and dedication to Nottinghamshire Police and the communities we serve.

"Every day, our officers and staff face complexity and challenge and the work highlighted in these awards demonstrates the commitment and diligence of our workforce and showcases some of the great work we’re doing as a force.

"My warmest congratulations to all those recognised. They should all be proud of their achievements and the difference they have made to our communities."

The ceremony also included the Police and Crime Commissioner awards.

PCC Gary Godden and his office, including the Violence Reduction Partnership, work with dozens of partner agencies, such as local authorities, criminal justice partners, charities and voluntary and community organisations to create safer communities.

The PCC Awards are in recognition of some of the outstanding work carried out by some of these partners to support the PCC’s work.

PCC Gary Godden

The winners included:

Vulnerability Champion

Teresa Waldron

Teresa has been CEO of Deaf-initely Women since its inception in 2019. Deaf-initely Women is unique in that it provides gender specific support to women who are Deaf and Deafblind. Under Teresa’s leadership Deaf-initely Women has grown from a start up to a financially resilient organisation and the PCC has recently agreed new funding for Deaf-initely Women to enable them to provide ISVA as well as IDVA support for two years.

Young Futures

Kelese Hyacinth

Kelese, Project Manager, Leaders Unlocked – has won the Young Futures Award for driving forward the work of the Nottinghamshire Youth Commission, greatly enhancing the influence the commission has on public sector organisations. Her work not only equips members of the commission with invaluable experience, but also enhances the broader experience of young people across the Nottinghamshire system, gathering their views and applying their feedback.

Community Cohesion and Public Service

Nottingham Street Pastors

Nottingham Street Pastors is a project set up by the Malt Cross Trust in 2010 as a multi-church response to urban night-time problems with the aim to improve Nottingham’s nightlife. It is a volunteer-based initiative committed to enhancing public safety and supporting vulnerable individuals in Nottingham’s night-time economy.

PCC Godden said:

"As PCC it is one of my key duties to bring community partners together to play a part in enhancing public safety.

"The PCC Awards are my way of recognising some of the outstanding contributions of our partners in supporting our ongoing efforts to create a safer Nottinghamshire for all.

"We work with a whole host of great community organisations, including charities, voluntary sector organisations, and public services and they all do an amazing job. Any one of them would have been worthy of an award.

"Our winners were two individuals and a community project who shone out in the nominations for putting their heart and soul into the work they do, supporting our most vulnerable people, helping young people aspire to great things, and going above and beyond to create more cohesive communities and put other people's safety first."