Outstanding officers, staff and volunteers honoured at annual awards

Our remarkable officers, staff and volunteers were honoured at a special ceremony last month.

We held our annual Durham Difference Awards on Wednesday,(October 22 to celebrate individuals and teams who have gone the extra mile, time and time again. Showing courage every day and putting themselves in harm’s way in order to protect our county.

Some of the highlights of the night including the Police Bravery Award which was presented to two response officers who managed to detain a man with a knife in the Murton area of Seaham.

Without any preparation, both officers ran towards the disturbance and relied on their training, professionalism and courage to save the life of the victim.

Another highlight included the Outstanding Police Officer Award which was handed to PC Martin Nicholson (pictured) who is often seen on foot patrol in Chester-le-Street and is committed to helping the local community and it's residents.

In his own time, Martin has also recently arranged several charity golf days which look to support men in policing who are struggling or affected by poor mental health.

Officers, staff and volunteers who were all put forward for the awards by their colleagues, were recognised as the epitome of the Durham Difference.

This year’s awards were kindly sponsored by BT, who provide telephony services to our control room and Philips.