Team SWP Awards 2025: Our winners

Courage, integrity and compassion, innovation, determination and resilience – just a few of the attributes celebrated last night at our TeamSWP Awards 2025 ceremony.

Held in Swansea, this event shines a spotlight on the standout actions and work of officers, staff, volunteers, and partner agencies.   

Our guests, which included family and friends of those nominated, heard humbling and inspiring tales of those who have excelled in their field, or who have gone above and beyond for the communities we serve.

This year's winners are:

 

Bravery Award, sponsored by Dolmans Solicitors 

Detective Constables Nicola Easton and Stephen Jenkins

A man who was suspected of murder was at large when DC Jenkins and DC Easton were conducting unrelated enquiries in the area. They saw a man, near to the last confirmed sighting and matching the suspect’s description, and without concern for their own welfare, stepped in to detain and arrest him. Later, with the help of a witness, they also located a weapon.

 

Community Award, sponsored by South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner

PCSO Stephen Evans

PCSO Evans has been instrumental in improving the trust and confidence in the police within Blaenymaes.  He fought for KICKS, a youth outreach programme that aims to create a safe space for young people and reduce offending, to be set up, and the initiative is incredibly successful. Every Thursday evening local children play football watched by their parents, many of whom have been anti-police, enjoying the game and engaging with Steve.

He has also worked with local schools to break down barriers, recognising that many of families have had difficult interactions with the police previously. Yet now when asked what they want to be when they grow up many of the children draw pictures of Steve! He is a real advocate for young people and ensures they are listened to and heard. And this approach extends to the whole Blaenymaes community – he knows everyone’s name, understands their needs, and is even known to change his shifts to support them.

 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award, sponsored by Unison Wales

Race Against Hate Team

In September 2024 Mid Glamorgan Community Safety Partnership hosted the Inaugural cross-country event called ‘Race Against Hate’ in Aberdare.

One hundred primary schools from Merthyr and RCT were invited, with more than 1,000 children taking part. The aim was to have fun and build confidence, as well as to educate and raise awareness about the importance of inclusivity and kindness in our communities regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability. In the run up to the event a short film was produced, featuring celebrities and athletes, and shown during school assemblies, reaching an estimated audience of 25,000 children. This helped engage young people and build excitement for the event.

It took significant organisation and coordination between schools, businesses, and local authorities to deliver this successful and safe event, but it has paid off with hate-related crimes and incidents within Merthyr and RCT decreasing by 14%.

 

Extra Mile Award for Volunteers, sponsored by Willmott Dixon

Special Sergeant Christopher Prosser

Chris is a special sergeant based in Aberdare, managing a team of special constables and working with local officers to meet the demands locally. He consistently works more than the required hours in this voluntary role, which is on top of a full-time job and family commitments.

In August 2024, Chris singlehandedly set up and delivered Operation Verus, a joint project with the Motor Insurance Bureau. Chris ensured the vehicles and staff required for the operation were in place, his colleagues were fully briefed, and he dealt with any issues along the way. To date, this operation has resulted in many vehicles being seized and individuals disqualified from driving, as well as prosecutions for having for no insurance, drink and drug driving, and speeding. Impressive results and all thanks to Chris’s leadership.

 

Impact Award, sponsored by University of South Wales

Detective Superintendent Matthew Cox

Detective Superintendent Cox identified that a gap existed in our analytical capability to best support more complex investigations, principally how we interpret communications data and digital device downloads. Working with external providers, Matt found an intelligence database that would fill this gap and submitted a business case to chief officers. Over the course of a single year this automated search process could result in a saving of up to 3,276 hours.

On approval, Matt was solely responsible for procuring the equipment, negotiating costs to secure significant discounts and enabling South Wales Police to buy 100 software licences and a training package. The benefits of the database are already beginning to lead to efficiencies and positive investigation outcomes.

 

Investigation of the Year Award, sponsored by Niche

Cardiff and Vale Exploitation Investigation Team

In May 2024, we tracked a teenage girl who had been reported missing from Merthyr Tydfil to an address in Roath, Cardiff, where Najib Arab resided. During the police investigation, it was revealed that Arab had been grooming and exploiting the vulnerable girl, offering her free drugs before coercing her into criminal activity.

This was a challenging case due to the vulnerabilities of the young person but through the investigation team developing a rapport with her, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, and building a strong case, Arab was charged with holding a person in slavery or servitude and possession with intent to supply class B drugs. He was convicted and jailed for seven years. The investigation team also identified other young people that had been exploited, and relevant safeguarding was put in place.

Investigator of the Year Award, sponsored by Niche

Detective Constable Harri Andrews

DC Harri Andrews led a complex investigation with extraordinary tenacity and compassion. He uncovered the truth behind a series of non-recent sexual assaults within a close-knit community. What began as a single disclosure evolved into a sprawling investigation and culminated in multiple serious sexual offence charges being brought against the offender who is now behind bars.

Through meticulous detective work DC Andrews identified several victims, working with them and their families to deliver the justice they deserve.

 

Leadership Award, sponsored by Axon

Detective Inspector Robert Chambers

DI Chambers has been the senior investigating officer on countless large-scale investigations. He has a vast wealth of experience and knowledge, and colleagues talk about the relief they feel when they see Bob is leading an investigation – both senior managers and officers on the ground. His expertise has also been shared with the many detectives he has supported and helped train in his almost 30 years’ service.

DI Chambers’ leadership has ensured positive outcomes in many cases. Examples include the homicide of a young mother who was initially dealt with as a high-risk missing person; when Bob reviewed the case, it led to two family members becoming suspects in her disappearance and being detained prior to them attempting to leave the UK.

 

Operation of the Year Award, sponsored by South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner

Operation Tecoma

The Op Tecoma Team came together to identify ways to better tackle county lines criminality locally. They embraced new techniques to help get a better understanding of data communications evidence, which enabled them to identify offenders and put evidential cases in place, and establish a robust working practice.

Using this methodology alone, the Op Tecoma team has charged multiple offenders with Class A drugs supply offences, achieved 43 convictions with total sentencing of 145 years, disrupted over 60 drugs lines, and recovered large quantities of drugs. This approach is now considered to be best practice, and members of the team often present to and upskill teams in relation to the methodology implemented.

 

Police Officer Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by South Wales Police Federation

Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones

Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones is nominated for his dedication to policing over the last 29 years. He quickly became a leader and is currently the Commander in Mid Glamorgan, having first undertaken the role in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, despite how testing and difficult this operating environment can be and his own personal battle with testicular cancer.

Steve is a passionate leader, committed to his staff to ensure they get the best possible support and recognition for their hard work. An example of this is his work with the Benevolent Fund which helps provide financial support for colleagues during their darkest moments.

He has also taken on many additional roles as a leader such as strategic firearms commander and public order commander, and has been involved in many major and critical incidents, events, and partnership projects that have required a strong coordinated response.

In 2024 alone Steve led our response to the devastating Storm Bert, two murders, a fatal explosion at a laboratory, and a road traffic collision which cost the lives of three young men and severely injured two others. And 2025 has been no quieter with a terrorist attack on officers in Talbot Green, a fatal shooting, and reports related to Parc Prison to name just a few. Yet Steve has never failed to deliver a compassionate yet robust response.

 

Police Staff Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Willmott Dixon

Maria Spence, Operational Business Support Manager

Maria has given exemplary service for over 40 years, undertaking several roles throughout her career. She is highly regarded not just by her staff but also senior colleagues.

Maria’s experience and knowledge are unrivalled, and she is an invaluable asset to her department in respect to managing daily business effectively whilst ensuring appropriate governance and oversight is provided to key business functions.

Despite the multitude of changes in governance, technology, operational and organisational demands, Maria has been consistent in the way she has led, influenced and made a positive difference to those she works with both as a manager and as a colleague. Maria’s support has without question enabled frontline colleagues to consistently deliver a great service to our communities.

 

Problem Solving in Partnership Award, sponsored by South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour in Bridgend

Partners came together to address drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour within Bridgend town centre and surrounding areas during the 2024 Christmas period. Together they focused on housing issues, retail crime prevention, reviews of taxi licensing and licensed premised, increased community engagement and targeted patrols.

This resulted in 40 arrests, several summons and stop searches, and led to a significant decrease in ASB, shoplifting, residential burglaries, vehicle crime, and violent incidents.

 

Special Recognition

Scott Michael, Volunteer Animal Welfare Officer

Scott has been a volunteer Animal Welfare Assistant for over 16 years. Twice a week without fail Scott gives up his time to care for our dogs and horses, ensuring the animals are in tip-top condition to carry out their duties.

Scott is meticulous in his work and once he has a to-do list he works tirelessly until the jobs are completed. He is also a team player, keen to boost morale amongst his fellow animal welfare assistants, mounted officers and dog handlers. With his quick wit and skill at quizzes, Scott is often providing the entertainment in the mess room or on social occasions. He is held in high esteem by his colleagues who are proud to have him as part of the team.

 

Young Person/s Contribution to the Community, sponsored by Police Sport South Wales

Ruby Hill, Police Youth Volunteer

Ruby has been with the hub, based in Ely, since soon after it was set up.  She has shown 100% commitment to the scheme, while in class sessions and volunteering at community events. Ruby is also a great support to new starters in the group, making them feel welcomed and involved.

Ruby is keen to take on team activities and attend as many events as possible and has even assisted with knife sweeps and speed scoping in the Ely area. An event of note, where Ruby really stood out, was the Fairwater Emergency Services Day. She got stuck in and helped the local neighbourhood policing team run a stall before also joining in with a game of tag rugby. Ruby was the only police youth volunteer at this event, and colleagues said she was a massive help. This is typical of Ruby. She is an outstanding volunteer.

Special Constable D'Andre Wells

SC Wells is just 22 years old yet has dedicated an incredible amount of his own time to serving the communities of south Wales and is now a regular part of response policing in Mid Glamorgan. In 2024 alone D’Andre attended a staggering 591 calls for service and became the lead officer for 45 of those cases, resulting in18 arrests. He has also shown great compassion for victims, ensuring that they are kept up to date and informed. D’Andre is so committed he even attended a three-week response driving course in his own time and without payment so he can better serve his local community.

Prior to becoming a Special Constable D'Andre was a police youth volunteer in our Bridgend Hub, where he took every opportunity to learn, develop, and contribute. He now helps to keep the PYV hub running. He really is a credit to South Wales Police, and we are fortunate that D’Andre intends on joining us a full-time officer soon.

 

Read more details about our winners, and the other finalists, here.