Policing with the community awards

Developed by the Police Service in partnership with the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the awards were formally launched by Assistant Chief Constable, Will Kerr.

Chief Inspector Chris Yates, Foyle Area Commander said: "We are committed to delivering a personal, professional and protective policing service to the whole community. Few people may be aware of the fact that when a police officer joins the Service they take an 'Oath of Office' which is a statement of the individual's desire to serve everyone. This collective resolve to make Northern Ireland a safer place for everyone, is borne out through day to day policing, whether this takes the form of patrolling the streets, tackling anti-social behaviour, working with partners to challenge underage drinking, conducting road policing operations or investigating criminal activity.

"The Policing with the Community Awards provide a channel for the public to recognise and reward outstanding examples of local police working in partnership with local residents and community leaders to find solutions to local issues."

Information leaflets on the public nomination categories are available in Tesco stores while nomination forms can be collected from any police station throughout Northern Ireland or by logging onto www.psni.police.uk

Award categories include: Probationer Police Officer of the Year; Partnership of the Year; Neighbourhood Policing Team of the Year; Police Staff member of the Year; Police Officer of the Year; Diversity in Action Award; Police Staff Lifetime Achievement Award; Police Lifetime Achievement Award.

A 2,000 bursary will be presented to each category winner, which can be spent on a Policing with the Community initiative.

Police Commanders along with the local District Policing Partnerships will nominate candidates for all categories. A panel drawn from the Police Service, the Policing Board and independent external representatives will judge each category.