Community Policing Awards 2025 Winners Announced

On Monday 1 December the winners of the Community Policing Awards 2025 were announced at the annual awards ceremony hosted in Easthampstead Park Hotel, Bracknell. These awards recognise the outstanding efforts of the Neighbourhood Policing teams, including officers, PCSOs, police staff, volunteers and cadets, alongside members of the public, for the positive impact they have made in protecting our communities.

Earlier this year nominations were submitted by the public, our partner agencies, and colleagues across the force, before being reviewed by a judging panel chaired by Head of Community Policing, Superintendent John Batty.

The winners from our Local Command Units (LCUs) and communities within the Thames Valley are:

Community Officer 2025
Police Constable Miles Hooper from Milton Keynes LCU received the award for Community Officer of the year for his exceptional proactive policing. He has led a landmark closure order on a block of 24 flats linked to organised crime, human trafficking, and modern slavery. He also pioneered innovative approaches to tackling serious violence and knife-point robberies, using the OSARA problem-solving model to engage communities and reduce crime in high-risk areas. Miles is described as the top-performing officer in Milton Keynes South, excelling in arrests, positive outcomes, and investigation quality.

Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) 2025
PCSO Sarah Jones from Oxfordshire LCU was named as Police Community Support Officer of the year. For over 18 years, Sarah has been a cornerstone of our Wallingford and Didcot Neighbourhood Team. During this time, she has built strong relationships with schools, councils, local businesses, and partner agencies. Her ability to communicate with people from all walks of life, even in challenging situations, has strengthened ties with seldom-heard communities, improved safeguarding, and delivered tangible improvements in public safety.

Inspirational Leadership Award 2025
Inspector James Tribe from Berkshire West LCU exemplifies what it means to inspire others, bringing energy, integrity, and a clear sense of purpose to every challenge he faces. Throughout his career, James has consistently gone above and beyond to empower those around him, creating an environment where our people feel valued, motivated, and supported. James has championed initiatives that strengthen public confidence, improve operational effectiveness, and foster inclusivity. By encouraging open dialogue and embracing diverse perspectives, James ensures that every voice is heard, and every idea has the potential to make a difference.

Problem Solving and Prevention Award 2025
Danielle Shanker works in the Thames Valley Police Corporate Communications team and has transformed how our Neighbourhood teams engage with the public. She has ensured that our  communication is inclusive, impactful, and aligned with our force priorities. Having successfully delivered our recent ‘It’s That Antisocial’ campaign, which reached over seven million people, she then independently secured £60,000 in funding to expand it even further. Her innovative use of platforms like Snapchat to target hard-to-reach audiences, demonstrates her commitment to inclusive engagement, helping to break down barriers between policing and our diverse communities.

Special Constable 2025
Special Sergeant Ben Gill has contributed an incredible 553 hours across 76 duties, making him the highest contributor within our Special Constabulary in our Buckinghamshire LCU. Ben has also been instrumental in supporting our tasking, priority crime and neighbourhood policing teams with key operations such as the winter burglary campaign. He has also taken ownership of an outstanding warrants operation run by our Special Constabulary to free up our other officers so they can focus on other priority areas.

Community Volunteer 2025
Afzaal Hussain who lives in Buckinghamshire has dedicated countless hours to reducing violence, knife crime, and gang-related activity, becoming a trusted mentor to vulnerable young people at risk of criminal involvement. His compassionate approach has encouraged many to surrender weapons and choose safer, more positive paths.

Volunteer 2025
George Harper has dedicated his time and energy to supporting policing in a variety of roles for 16 years. He is currently volunteering with the Missing Investigation Support Team (MIST) in our Buckinghamshire LCU and plays a vital role in locating missing persons across the Thames Valley. He has also volunteered as a role player at our training centre in Sulhamstead for many years, helping to train new officers. He is known for his flexibility and reliability, especially during periods where there is significant demand on resources.

Police Cadet 2025
Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Horgan from Berkshire is our Police Cadet of the year having progressed to Head Cadet, earning respect for her leadership, courage, and compassion. Drawing on her experience as a young person in foster care, she has created and delivered powerful lesson plans to educate cadets, colleagues and professionals about life in care. Betsy has also led sessions on critical issues such as violence against women and girls and actively contributed to operations tackling child exploitation and illegal knife sales.

Diversity and Inclusion Champion 2025
Sergeant Tom Kelly, from Milton Keynes LCU, has demonstrated outstanding commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and community safety through the ‘Knockout Knife Crime’ initiative. Tom’s leadership helped to educate and empower young people and the wider public about the dangers of knife crime to foster safer and more inclusive communities. His efforts brought together multiple agencies and diverse community groups, creating a space where young people from all backgrounds could access life-saving information and support.

Lifetime Achievement Award 2025
Chief Superintendent Emma Burroughs will have served with Thames Valley Police for 30 years in February 2026. During this time she has made a transformative impact on policing, leading initiatives such as the “One Reading Partnership” and driving major organisational changes that improved community safety and operational performance. Under her leadership as a Local Commander, her Buckinghamshire LCU became the model for our five new Local Command Units covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Berkshire West and Berkshire East. Beyond her many achievements, Emma has championed officer welfare and professional development, earning admiration from across the force for her integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to our people the communities we serve.

Local Policing Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt led the awards ceremony and said: “Community policing provides the foundation on which we work to protect our communities and has a crucial role in building public trust and confidence. As ACC for Local Policing, I am immensely proud of the work we do in strengthening resilience and addressing the issues that matter most to our communities. Because building trust, fighting crime, and serving victims is what we do, 24/7, 365 days a year. 

“The Community Policing Awards offer an important opportunity for residents and local businesses, along with our partners and colleagues, to celebrate those who have shown exceptional commitment to keeping our communities safe.

“The response from the public this year was outstanding and truly highlighted the positive impact our winners and nominees have had across the Thames Valley.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all those recognised for their tireless efforts and dedication. Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to vote because we are proud to be Thames Valley Police.”

If you have been inspired by these stories please visit the TVP Careers website to see how you could make a difference by working in policing.

Superintendent John Batty, Head of Community Policing, said: “The Community Policing Awards are a special opportunity to recognise our police officers, staff and volunteers who have gone above and beyond to serve their communities. These awards highlight the dedication, professionalism, and compassion that make a real difference in people’s lives right across the Thames Valley every day.

“Thank you to everyone who took time to make a nomination, choosing the winners from such fantastic achievements was a difficult task. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners, your commitment to community policing is truly inspiring and reflects the very best of what we stand for.”