Off-duty officer who saved man's life at roadside among Wiltshire Police award winners

At the latest police awards, two dedicated members of the force from Swindon received high praise for their efforts on and off-duty.

While visiting his grandparents on March 8, PC Andrew Lacey spotted a man collapsing on the opposite side of the carriageway and a distressed woman calling for help. and ran over to provide first aid.

He immediately ran over and called 999, started CPR when he realised the man had stopped breathing, then continued the procedure while paramedics arrived and assessed the patient.

The ambulance crew used a defibrillator to revive the patient and his condition began to stabilise before he was taken to Great Western Hospital, where his condition was described as 'not life threatening'.

PC Lacey received the Chief Constable's Certificate of Excellence for his quick-thinking and staying calm in a tense situation.

Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “PC Lacey showed great personal responsibility through his selfless actions and stayed calm and professional in what must have been an extremely stressful situation.

"He utilised his training perfectly and there is no doubt his actions saved this man’s life, and he should feel immensely proud.

“Thank you for your exceptional professionalism in providing lifesaving CPR during the challenging and concerning environment of the Covid-19 pandemic. Your actions displayed the Force values and behaviours, and this is amplified further by the fact you were off-duty at the time.”

Inspector Paul Saunders and Sergeant Amy Hardman received awards highlighting their years of service to the force which has seen them work in all sorts of different departments and areas.

In January 2018, he became the first Wiltshire Inspector to cover a shift as part of the Triforce Specialist Operations Unit until the team dissolved in April 2019

After that, he became the the firearms lead for Wiltshire police and was responsible for implementing the return of firearms operations to Wiltshire Police and overseeing the protection operation for the Duchess of Cornwall.

Paul said his career highlights included his time as Town Centre Sergeant, tackling violent crime at night-time businesses, overseeing the return of firearms to Wiltshire's force and building a department which has provided a better service to Wiltshire.

His time at Wiltshire Police began when he joined Swindon Response Team 5 in March 2001 then moved after a few months to be a beat officer in the east sector neighbourhood policing team

After three and a half years in the role, Paul became a Temporary Sergeant on Team 4 Response and then promoted to Sergeant in December 2006 and posted to custody.

One year later, he moved to become Sergeant to Team 2 in Swindon and then Town Centre Sergeant on Swindon Central NPT in 2009.

He became an Inspector in 2011 and worked with Swindon Borough Council and the Community Safety Partnership as well as being a Police Support Unit Inspector and Bronze Public Order Commander. In 2014, he returned to Central NPT in Swindon and in 2015, he took on the role of Force Incident Manager and became an Initial Tactical Firearms Commander.

In 2017, Paul was the lead for the force in Operation Cobb, which policed the badger cull, and worked with other forces in the south west..

He paid tribute to retired Chief Inspector Madge Lynch: “She was an incredible mentor and role model to me when I was the Town Centre Sgt and she was my NPT Inspector.

“She gave me the freedom to make the role my own, guiding me when I needed it. She had significant faith in what I was trying to achieve and taught me a lot about how to work with staff and partners, shaping me into the officer I have become.”

Fellow long-serving emergency worker Sergeant Amy Hardman joined Wiltshire Police in December 2000 aged 19 - the youngest person on the force.

Growing up in Salisbury, she chose to be posted to Swindon and learned a lot in those four years from the experienced people around her.

. Her first big job was during her two-week probationer attachment to traffic. Amy spotted an out-of-date tax disc which led to a vehicle stop.

She said: “Coppers’ intuition told us something wasn’t quite right with the driver behaving in a furtive manner, and we ended up with more than £5k worth of cannabis being seized from the boot.

She said: “The on-call Superintendent was adamant that it must have been as a result of being tipped off - the duty DS took ages to convince him it was just a routine traffic stop. You just never know what this job is going to uncover next.

“I have worked with some amazing people during my career - people who support each other like a family would at some of the most challenging of times.

“I wouldn’t have joined the police though if it wasn’t for my role model at home, so I should mention my dad here really - Retired PC 724 Scott Freeman, thank you!"

After returning to Salisbury with the youth offending team, going to Chippenham's response team and working in Salisbury's intelligence department and Trowbridge neighbourhood policing team, she returned to Swindon in 2017. The mum-of-two was promoted to Sergeant and stayed in the town until she moved to the force HQ as Strategic Support Officer to the County Hub Superintendent, and later to the Staff Officer role for the Chief Constable and then to ACC Smith – where Amy is today.

Other long-service awards went to the chief constable's staff officer Sergeant Russell Griffin, business intelligence analyst Charlotte McVey, head of occupational health Penny Fuller, head of finance Dawn Young, and Detective Zoe Rattue-Spicer.

Detective Constable Clare Sylvester Wyness received an award for inspirational leadership for 16 years of passion, dedication, drive and tenacity.

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard paid glowing tribute to those being honoured with these awards.

He said: “Having the opportunity to say thank you and to recognise the achievements of officers and staff is one of my favourite parts of my job. It is always a huge privilege for me to join you and your families and loved ones and say thank you for the outstanding contribution you have made.

“Policing is a vocation, a service people join to make a difference and to protect people. The last 18 months have tested everyone’s strength in all walks of life. Our public have seen from our officers the courage, the heart and the resilience required to continue to serve.”

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard paid glowing tribute to those being honoured.

He said: “Having the opportunity to say thank you and to recognise the achievements of officers and staff is one of my favourite parts of my job. It is always a huge privilege for me to join you and your families and loved ones and say thank you for the outstanding contribution you have made.

“Policing is a vocation, a service people join to make a difference and to protect people. The last 18 months have tested everyone’s strength in all walks of life. Our public have seen from our officers the courage, the heart and the resilience required to continue to serve.”