Award-winning staff in Force Control Room

Colleagues from the Force Crime and Incident Response (FCIR) Command have been recognised at a national awards ceremony celebrating the best of the UK’s control room employees.

Two Kent Police members of staff won their category for their contributions to policing as part of the awards held in Leicestershire on 13 July 2023.

Bravery award

Keiron Beadle, a Contact Handler and Dispatcher, was named as the winner of the national Bravery and Courage Award.

The category acknowledges the bravery and courage colleagues have faced in their personal life, and Keiron was praised for how he has supported new colleagues to integrate into the Force Control Room team.

Keiron also worked overtime to support colleagues and created a new method to help people swap their shifts more easily. All this was done whilst simultaneously becoming the primary ‘bread-winner’ for his household following the death of his father.

The judges said:

‘Choosing a winner for this award was very difficult, as the entries featured so many emotional stories that pull at the heartstrings. They went on to say that Keiron has dealt with life-changing events at just 23 years old and has demonstrated amazing commitment and responsibility. They said he is a credit to his family, to Kent Police and to his team.’

Ambassador

Karen Sandland, Learning and Development (L&D) Support Officer, was named as the winner of the Control Room Ambassador of the Year category.

As well as her role in the L&D team, Karen has also served as a Special Constable, and has been the FCR’s representative for the Armed Forces Network for the past two years. Karen also volunteers within an Army Cadet unit, teaching cadets new skills and training.

The judges described Karen as:

‘Someone who truly demonstrates the values of a control room ambassador and does so much to raise the profile of the control room. She goes above and beyond in supporting colleagues and the community, all while dealing with significant personal health issues.’

Special awards

Two additional special awards were presented to Kent Police for initiatives within the FCIR. The FCIR Learning and Development team received the ‘Highly commended’ Team Award for its role in recruiting and training over 220 employees, including delivering of various L&D programmes and initiatives.

Bronwyn Langdon, also of the Learning and Development team, was given a special Control Room Hero award for her role in supporting the delivery of the annual control room awards consistently over years and her support in collating so many nominations.

Chief Superintendent Patrick Holmes, Head of the FCIR Command said:

‘I was extremely proud to see so many of our colleagues being recognised on a national scale for their contribution to protecting and serving the people of Kent. Whilst members of the public will rarely ever see or meet the voice on the other end of the phone, they should feel reassured we have such a high calibre team ready to help them in their hour of need.’