Rotherham’s finest celebrated at awards ceremony

A POLICE Constable who literally works in the name of the Law has been praised for his dedication to South Yorkshire Police.

PC David Law, who made almost 120 arrests in a year, was among the officers recognised at the annual Rotherham police awards. PC Law has worked for South Yorkshire Police for 14 years and arrested a suspect on average every three days.

Rotherham Central Local Policing Team (LPT) was named team of the year “for providing a first-class service to communities affected by repeated demonstrations, community tensions and increased feelings of vulnerability”.

The Making a Difference award for initiative went to PC Lisa Cooke and PC Debra Woodward for their commitment to protecting vulnerable people.

PC Chris Nicholson and Carol Adamson from Rotherham Borough Council won the Partnership of the Year award for their work on Operation Solar to tackle hate crime.

The ceremony, held at the New York Stadium and aimed at rewarding “passion, teamwork and commitment”, was opened by Chief Supt Rob Odell and Chief Constable Stephen Watson.

Abeid Hussain won Special Constable of the Year for completing more than 150 hours and 177 policing duties in 2016, in which he provided “invaluable support for the central LPT”.

A police spokesman said: “As a multi-lingual speaker, Abeid’s engagement with communities and ability to effectively communicate and break down barriers was also recognised.”

Teenage cadets Mohamed Salem (17) and David Maco (19) shared the Volunteer of the Year prize.

Mohamed was awarded for his exceptional work engaging with the community, as well as his professionalism and dedication.

Chief Supt Odell said: “Mohamed and David are both integral to helping the information flow between our officers and the public.

“They help to overcome cultural differences and speak a number of languages, which allows for reassurance to be more clearly communicated during ongoing incidents, which often bring large crowds on to the streets.”