Chief Constable’s Commendation Ceremony

The Chief Constable’s commendations are awarded to officers, staff and volunteers who have delivered exceptional service, and to members of the public who have stepped in to assist or have performed an outstanding act of bravery or shown great courage. There were 29 people listed for commendations at Loseley Park on 7th June. Members of the families of recipients were in attendance and heard the impressive and sometimes very moving citations.

Two members of Surrey County Council received commendations for providing training over 10 months to about 1,000 officers in how to relate better to young persons. It has produced good results. A civilian, hearing a mother’s desperate cries, left his own two daughters in a safe position by the river while he went and rescued two toddlers strapped into a buggy which had fallen into the river. A critical care nurse, on her way home after a busy shift, and two officers helped save lives at the scene of a very serious accident that involved several vehicles, a fatality, and a number of seriously injured people. Three officers collected evidence which led to the successful prosecution of a man in his 60s who had sexually abused individuals of both sexes for decades. The three officers had also received a judge’s commendation. Two officers bravely put themselves in harm’s way by blocking a carriageway when a drunk driver was driving the wrong way along it. They survived the crash, thankfully not badly injured. Not long after that incident, they found themselves having to take the same action again in similar circumstances.

Incidents of this nature do not usually attract much, if any, publicity. The officers do their duty, and may well go above and beyond their duty. An officer was commended for saving the life of a person who had suffered a heart attack. Another officer prevented a person from committing suicide. A police officer has to be prepared for anything, including a threat to their own life. The public may not realise this, or appreciate how fortunate our society is to have such men and women who are dedicated to a life of public service.

All those who heard the citations read out at the ceremony could not fail to be moved by what had been done by the officers and civilians who were commended.