Police officers celebrated in joint Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year award

Two City of London Police officers have been awarded Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year.

The joint winners, Police Constable Sibyl Beaumont, of the Cycle Team and Police Constable Grant Duke, of the Multi-Agency Prevention Team (MAPT), were recognised by the local policing leadership team for their achievements during the Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action.

PC Beaumont was given the award for consistently going beyond what is expected.   

She is deeply committed to supporting vulnerable people, especially the deaf community, proactively learning British Sign Language in her own time and actively building relationships to better understand and support those with disabilities within the City and beyond.

Her actions directly safeguarded a vulnerable deaf victim of a serious sexual assault. PC Beaumont’s skills enabled her to communicate efficiently to help ensure the immediate arrest of the suspect and provide ongoing care and protection measures to help the victim feel safe.

In addition to her day-to-day role, PC Beaumont is one of the force Dyslexia Assessors.

Police Constable Grant Duke was recognised for his dedication and leadership throughout his time on MAPT.

PC Duke has developed a partnership with the Children’s Society as part of Operation Makesafe, working with hotels across the Square Mile to tackle child sexual exploitation. He organised, funded and managed visits to each hotel to conduct assessments and arranged and delivered follow up training so that staff can help protect vulnerable people. 

He also worked on contingency planss with hotels which were not engaging with the Licensing Team.

A representative from the Children’s Society said he has “created a safer environment for children in the capital”

Chief Inspector Jonathan Ball, Neighbourhood Policing lead, said: 

“Congratulations to PCs Beaumont and Duke and all our nominees for this year’s Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year.

“Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action is an important opportunity to recognise the outstanding work of all our neighbourhood officers, staff and volunteers, who are at the heart of keeping our communities safe and feeling safe.

 “Across our Dedicated Ward Officers, Multi-Agency Prevention Team, Licensing, Cycle Team and Proactive Acquisitive Crime Team, our neighbourhood colleagues are committed to addressing the issues that matter most to those we serve and building public trust and confidence in policing.

“This week not only celebrates their dedication and professionalism, but also highlights the importance of partnership working, prevention and early intervention in reducing crime and supporting vulnerable individuals. I’m thrilled to have joined neighbourhood colleagues on patrol this week and to have witnesses  first-hand the difference they make every day.”

Safer City Streets is the City of London Police’s commitment to keeping the Square Mile one of the safest places in the country to live, work and visit.

By combining highly visible neighbourhood policing, intelligence-led hotspot patrols, cutting-edge technology and strong partnerships with businesses and communities, we are preventing crime, targeting prolific offenders and delivering safer, more welcoming streets.

From tackling phone snatching and retail crime to reducing violence and anti-social behaviour, Safer City Streets aims to make people feel safe as well as being safe.