Awards for top teams
Special constables in three Staffordshire districts have been presented with awards thanking them for supporting regular police officers in the past year. Special constables in three Staffordshire districts have been presented with awards thanking them for supporting regular police officers in the past year. Teams covering the Cannock, Rugeley and Watling Street neighbourhood policing units (NPUs) were given certificates in recognition of exceptional performance and contribution to Chase Division police. In the past year, the 11 officers based at Cannock NPU carried out 3,200 hours of duty, led by section officer Hilary Gittins. They dealt with a variety of problems, including 313 incidents of anti-social behaviour, 107 stop searches and the confiscation of 600 cans or bottles of alcohol. The team was responsible for 68 arrests ranging from possession of drugs to drink driving and conducted many traffic-related stops including operations against boy racers in Longford. Read the full story in the Express & Star.
Teams covering the Cannock, Rugeley and Watling Street neighbourhood policing units (NPUs) were given certificates in recognition of exceptional performance and contribution to Chase Division police.
In the past year, the 11 officers based at Cannock NPU carried out 3,200 hours of duty, led by section officer Hilary Gittins.
They dealt with a variety of problems, including 313 incidents of anti-social behaviour, 107 stop searches and the confiscation of 600 cans or bottles of alcohol. The team was responsible for 68 arrests ranging from possession of drugs to drink driving and conducted many traffic-related stops including operations against boy racers in Longford.
Cannock officers policed 19 special events, releasing regular officers to attend patrol duties.
Rugeley NPU has nine officers who carried 2,600 hours of duty, dealt with the 105 anti-social behaviour incidents and confiscated 340 containers of alcohol.
They were involved in 59 arrests ranging from burglary to public order, carried out regular road safety initiatives using speed lasers, assisted with drug raids and policed 13 special events.
Seven specials from Watling Street NPU carried out 4,450 hours of duty, attended 175 anti-social behaviour incidents and conducted 126 stop searches.
They were involved in 65 arrests, conducted 145 vehicle stop checks and issued more than 40 fixed penalty notices.
The team policed 16 special events without help from regular officers and worked alongside the Southern Pro-Active Unit to support their drug raids and operations on local car boot sales, where goods worth tens of thousands of pounds of goods were recovered.
Chief Supt Nick Howe, divisional commander, said: "I have great pleasure in presenting each NPU team with a separate certificate of thanks.
"The contribution in terms of the number of hours of duty undertaken by members of the Special Constabulary within Chase is exceptional and speaks volumes for the strong sense of community service these first-class officers have."
NPUs in Wombourne, Stone and Stafford were also recognised with a divisional certificate of thanks.
The 12 specials in Stafford carried out almost 5,900 hours of duty, attended 497 incidents of anti-social behaviour, conducted 284 stop searches and confiscated 192 containers of alcohol from young offenders.
The eight specials in Wombourne undertook 2,400 hours of duty, attended 144 incidents of anti-social behaviour and confiscated 85 containers of alcohol.
In Stone 11 officers carried out 3,920 hours of duty, attending 275 incidents of anti-social behaviour.
