Recognised with awards for keeping Dorset safe

The Dorset Police Award Ceremony was held at the Dorford Centre in Dorchester and saw police officers and staff receive awards to congratulate them in recognition of their exceptional contribution to keeping Dorset safe.

Thirteen awards and medals were presented following nominations from colleagues.

Presentations made by the Chief Constable of Dorset Police, Debbie Simpson and the High Sheriff, John Young included The Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and the Royal Humane Society Award.

Inspector Mike Kynaston and two other officers were presented with the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Mike joined Dorset Police in 1997 and began his career in uniform working at Bournemouth Police Station as a patrol officer. Later he was posted to Bournemouth Custody where he received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for resuscitating a male who collapsed whilst in the cell block. He was also recognised with a Divisional Commander’s award after he had rescued a suicidal male from the sea in Bournemouth.

Deployment Manager Ben Muspratt along with three others were commended for their leadership, agility, and quick thinking when the Force Command Centre suffered a technical failure. To solve the problem, they established lines of communication with Devon & Cornwall Police, who took on Dorset’s 999 emergency calls. Reverting to pen and paper, they also set up a system where the team were able to write down incidents and deploy officers using handheld sets.

The Royal Humane Society Award was presented to Police Constable Mark Palmer. He was on mobile patrol when he saw the lifeless body of a man lying on the footpath. He commenced CPR and managed to resuscitate the man who then regained consciousness.

A Certificate of Service was presented by the Chief Constable to Chris Davis who served as Dorset Police officer from 1977 until his retirement in 2009. His career was largely based in the world of forensics and before his retirement he was the Detective Sergeant in charge of the Imaging Unit at Ferndown.

Chief Constable Debbie Simpson said: “These awards are a wonderful opportunity to recognise the hard work, professionalism, and selflessness that our officers and staff contribute to Dorset Police.’’