Hello

Following really useful feedback from readers, I will be going back to sending my newsletter on Friday afternoons, helping to provide a timely round-up of each week.

Last week, I attended the Chief Constable's Annual Awards Ceremony where police officers, staff and volunteers were recognised for their exceptional work over the past year. 

The ceremony was held at the East Sussex National Hotel, Uckfield and it has fast become a highlight of the year, giving an insight into the outstanding commitment, effort and achievements of our police force.

The winner of 'Police Officer Of The Year' was PC Josh Funnell, who is based on the West Sussex Division.

An example of PC Funnell's exceptional work included negotiating for hours with a man in mental health crisis who had threatened to harm police officers and others with a knife. He was able to calm the man down, defusing the situation and bringing it to a safe conclusion.

Winning my Police & Crime Commissioner's Award was Sergeant Amy McAlees who has a passion for diverting children away from the criminal justice system and working effectively with schools and local partners.

Her ability to build rapport with young people, becoming someone they can trust and listen to, has led to one teenage shoplifter going from 50 reports of theft in three months, to zero.  I am sure you will agree that this is a remarkable achievement and is one of many reasons why Sgt McAlees was commended.

I know that those who are recognised at the awards often regard what they deliver as simply ‘doing their jobs’ but it is important we recognise their achievements as they protect the public and successfully bring criminals to justice.

My congratulations and thanks also extend to all our officers, staff and volunteers, who go above and beyond every day to help keep our beautiful county safe.

Sniffing out crime: Sussex Search Dogs

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting the Lowland Rescue Search Dogs Sussex team alongside Chief Constable Shiner. The team provide qualified search and rescue dogs to respond to emergencies and to search for and recover those who are missing, vulnerable or in distress. The team support police forces across the nation by providing an emergency, on-call service 365 days a year, seven days a week. During the visit we saw how search dogs use a technique called ‘air scenting’ to locate missing people. Humans emit a cone-shaped trail of scent as they move about which the search dogs can pick up and follow until they reach the source. We witnessed this in action with a member of the team hiding behind a thick hedgerow on some local farmland, posing as a missing person. The search dog quickly explored the surrounding fields until he located her scent, despite very windy and inhospitable conditions. I also had the privilege of witnessing our Chief Constable present recently retired Search Dog Millie with an award for her long service and dedication to the team in Sussex. Millie also received special doggie treats which she thoroughly enjoyed. See my website next week for more information and pictures from the visit.   Katy Bourne OBE Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner