OFFICERS from Rhyl and St Asaph have been singled out for their exceptional contribution to policing.

Sponsored by the North Wales Police Federation and UNISON, an annual Force Awards ceremony took place at St George Hotel in Llandudno and saw a total of 16 awards being presented to recipients in the company of distinguished guests, senior officers, family and friends.

Amongst the winners - which included two awards going to officers based in Rhyl and three for St Asaph - were officers being recognised for their bravery, investigations relating to trafficking and serious sexual offences, an innovation award and volunteers being recognised for their commitment and duty to the force.

Chief Constable Carl Foulkes said: “Our colleagues continue to do exceptional things and it is important that we recognise and thank those who make a real difference in their communities.

“Evening such as the Force Awards provide inspiration to others and make me proud to be part of North Wales Police. The awards presented recognised just a small selection of the excellent work, achievement and dedication to duty that our officers, staff and volunteers do on a daily basis, often unseen and unheralded."

“Policing is an incredibly difficult job; it places exceptional demands and expectations upon our staff. The world we police is also becoming ever more complex, requiring ever-increasing levels of innovation, discretion and problem solving.

“The dedication, bravery and professionalism I see on a daily basis never fails to fill me with admiration and it was a great honour to present some of these well-deserved awards.”

From Rhyl, the PCSO of the Year Award went to Ivan Nattrass for his work over the past 15 years in Rhyl town centre.

Originally from Wolverhampton, Rhyl-based constable John Dickie earned The Welsh Language Award for his commitment to learning the language since transferring in May 2018.

From St Asaph, the Fletcher Award for bravery was awarded to PC Matt Reynolds from the Armed Alliance Unit based in St Asaph, for safely apprehending a violent armed man who was suspected of sexually assaulting a female while PC Mike Taggart won the Tackling Exploitation Award for his work driving the message of domestic abuse.

Sergeant Bethan Jones won the Leadership Award for her work with the Central Community Safety Team and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which led to her winning the Problem Orientated Partnership Award in 2018.