Special praise for volunteer rural crime fighters

Four members of the public and one group of volunteers were presented with awards by Julia Mulligan, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.

Among the winners was Wayne Johnson from Selby who was presented with the Rural Watch Scheme Award for Outstanding Achievement for inspiring others to help the police by providing support for local initiatives to tackle rural crime and the anti-social use of motor vehicles.

David Nicklin, was presented with the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator’s Outstanding Achievement Award for the Selby area and Susan Proudfoot received the Rural Watch Co-ordinator’s Outstanding Achievement Award for the Hambleton area, while the Upper Wensleydale Rural Watch team, led by Dales Watch, were awarded the Rural Watch Scheme Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Richmondshire area.

Former chairman of North Yorkshire’s Neighbourhood Watch Association, Steve Law from Ryedale, was presented with two awards: one for his “outstanding commitment and inspirational leadership” during his time as the chairman of the Association; and another for his work in establishing area co-ordinators, registering North Yorkshire Neighbourhood Watch as a charity, introducing a regular newsletter and for commissioning a project to engage under-represented groups.

Mrs Mulligan said: “These awards are for those who go above and beyond and deserve an extra thank you.”