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Police forces including Thames Valley, Hampshire and Police Scotland were named amongst the winners at the third-annual Skills for Justice – Inspire Justice Awards.
Attended by senior figures in policing, including Sir Andy Marsh QPM and Chief Inspector Andy Cooke QPM DL, the Inspire Justice Awards celebrates and shines a light on the wider justice workforce that keeps our criminal justice system running smoothly.
In the Apprentice of the Year category, sponsored by SFJ Awards, police staff scooped both prizes with Jack Bloomfield, Contact Handler at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary the overall winner for his creation of a new tool to help audit contact into the force.
Jack used his skills and knowledge to create the tool alongside the Quality Assurance and Development team, to create ‘Journey of a Call’, which is a new way for the force to audit contact from members of the public and highlight any areas within the process that need reviewing.
Thames Valley Police’s Chloe Tennant was highly commended in the same category. Call handler, Chloe has excelled her role since joining Thames Valley in 2022, proving unflappable whatever the incident she has to deal with.
In little over two years, Chloe has been thanked personally by an inspector for her calm and collected approach to a kidnapping incident. Chloe also received praise from a member of the public who said that she treated him with upmost respect and dignity stating: “If anyone needs an example of how to treat somebody with a disability, they should listen to this call.”
Police completed another clean sweep in the Learning and Development Programme of the Year category at this year’s awards.
“The thousands of people who come into contact with the justice system every day might not be aware of the hidden heroes keeping the system going, but these individuals make a real difference to the lives of every citizen in this country.”
Minister of State, Heidi Alexander MP.
The Cleveland Divert Scheme – a joint initiative between Cleveland Police, Probation Service North East and the Office of the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner – scooped the top prize.
Cleveland Divert was set up in 2019 to provide out of court resolutions for adults, and the panel of judges was impressed by the project’s impact on cutting re-offending rates. Teesside has one of the highest adult re-offending rates in England and Wales at 32.1% – 7.2 percentage points higher than the national average – according to the Ministry of Justice. Rates for successful Divert participants are just four per cent.
Police Scotland’s Early Careers and Skills Development Team was highly commended for their work on Modern Apprenticeships which has seen the Police service in Scotland become the single largest employer provider of Modern Apprenticeships in the country.
In the Policing Staff Member of the Year Award category, which recognises individuals in staff roles (specifically non-uniform/non-officers), Rob Foster of Kent Police and James Edmondston, Substance Misuse Team Leader at Leicestershire Police, were named winner and highly commended respectively.
Rob Foster, who joined the force in 2002, was honoured for his contribution to improving the handling of 999 calls in the county.
Rob is Kent Police’s representative for the National Contact Management and a key member of a number of working groups. As a result of Rob’s work, Kent has gone from 43rd in the national Beating Crime Plan league table to 1st for its 999 response times.
Leicestershire Police’s James Edmondston was recognised for his contribution to helping to prevent drug related crime in the county and was instrumental in force’s the rollout of naloxone.
“A huge congratulations to all Inspire Justice Awards finalists. Without the wider justice sector workforce that Inspire Justice Awards aims to recognise and celebrate, our justice system would grind to a halt.
“Now more than ever, it is important to raise awareness of the valuable contribution that these inspirational teams and individuals make to the safety of our communities.”
Chief Executive of Skills for Justice, John Rogers.
The Inspire Justice Awards is a UK-based programme dedicated to recognising the achievements of the entire justice sector. The Awards are delivered by Skills for Justice and supported by BT, PeoplePlus, UNISON, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, HM Courts & Tribunals Service and SFJ Awards.
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