Recognising Excellence – Community Care to Critical Incidents

On Thursday 4 June our Chief Constable, Jason Hogg, recognised dedicated service, alongside outstanding compassion and professionalism, at the latest Chief Constable’s Award Ceremony in Sulhamstead.

Long Service Award

PCSO Vijay Desai was presented with a 20-year long service award for his dedicated service covering the Beaconsfield and Chepping Wye Neighbourhood. Vijay is passionate about his role and draws on his friendly and outgoing personality to strengthen relationships between the community and the police. He takes pride in visiting the schools in his neighbourhood and delivering presentations about road safety, social media, and the impact of anti-social behaviour.

In 2008 Vijay was invited as a guest to 10 Downing Street where he met with Prime Minister Tony Blair to talk about some of the great work he was delivering. Vijay later went on to win the PCSO of the Year Award for Buckinghamshire in 2015.

On receiving his long service award, Vijay said:  

“I love my job and have always found being a PCSO both rewarding and challenging. No two days are ever the same, which is what makes it so interesting. I’d like to thank my family and colleagues for their constant support and for always being by my side. I also want to thank Inspector Rachel Dale, who was my sergeant for five years, for being so supportive, approachable and understanding.”

Chief Constable’s Commendations of Excellence 

Later in the ceremony twenty nine colleagues from teams across the force were recognised with Chief Constable’s Commendations of Excellence, following their co-ordinated response to a challenging, distressing, and complex road traffic collision last year.

On 11 May 2025 a minibus carrying 5 adult passengers and fourteen children was travelling eastbound along the M4. At Junction 10 the vehicle joined the A329M for Wokingham where it collided with the Armco barrier resulting in a large-scale, multi-agency response, where sadly two children lost their lives.

From the very first calls into our Contact Management Centre, colleagues demonstrated professionalism, resilience and remained calm under pressure. Call takers and those in the Control Room worked tirelessly to manage fast-moving and sometimes unclear information, ensuring the right resources were deployed quickly and effectively.

On the ground, Roads Policing officers were among the first to arrive and quickly established command bringing structure and clarity to a highly dynamic scene. Armed Response officers, along with Incident and Crime Response (ICR) and other specialist teams, worked alongside ambulance and fire colleagues to provide urgent care to those most seriously injured.

Throughout the incident, the recipients showed remarkable compassion and professionalism through administering medical treatment, supporting those impacted, and providing reassurance to members of the public. Others stepped outside of their usual roles where needed, demonstrating adaptability and a shared commitment to doing the right thing, by transporting casualties to hospital, managing casualty reception areas, and supporting the early stages of family liaison.

Supervisors ensured clear leadership and coordination, while welfare support was put in place early to look after those involved. External partners also acknowledged the calm, skilled and supportive approach shown by our people.

Reflecting after presenting the awards, Chief Constable Jason Hogg, said:  

“It is hard to put into words just how distressing incidents like this are; not only for the families involved, but for the officers and staff who step forward in those moments.

“This incident shows a level of courage, compassion and professionalism with our people doing everything they could, in incredibly difficult circumstances, to help others.”

This incident was very challenging, however it epitomises how we make a difference in our communities, demonstrating the strength, skill and compassion of our people working together and why we feel proud to be Thames Valley Police.

If you have what it takes to make a difference every day, take a look at the different types of roles we have available within our great teams.

Chief Constable's Awards