South Yorkshire officer wins women in policing award

ZULEIKA Payne has won the Police Federation of England and Wales’ annual award for women in policing.

She was presented with the award by former Police Federation chairman Jan Berry at the annual conference in Bournemouth.

Zuleika was chosen from six finalists and was rewarded for her innovative work which has led to changes in the law.

Between 2003 and 2010, Zuleika organised and hosted two forced marriage conferences for South Yorkshire Police, which led to a 40-50% increase in reporting.

This attracted the attention of the Home Office, and Zuleika contributed to the consultation that led to the introduction of the forced marriage legislation.

She was also chosen to lead on the Prevent counter terrorism initiative in Rotherham, to ensure vulnerable people were not lured into extremism or terrorist groups.

Speaking about her win, Zuleika said: “I am absolutely delighted to be the recipient of this award. I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to those involved in the decision making process and also my police colleagues.

“I am immensely proud that South Yorkshire Police have been recognised for the service we provide to the community day in day out. This is becoming increasingly difficult as we are losing a vast swathes of officers.”