On the afternoon of the 13th december 2012 I was coming back from Stanley got off the bus at top of the street, walked down Valiaint Way; that day the ice was thick upon the roads and paths, I came to the corner and slipped upon the ice and injured my fingers was shocked by it and shook up, tryed to get up slipped and fell again. Officers were coming up the road in the van and I had to wave them down. They stopped and on seeing that I had hurt myself, got out of the van and helped me inside whilst they called for an ambulance and took me down home to wait for an ambulance to take me to hospital. I went to hospital and was told that I had dislocated two fingers on my hand. If the officers had not been there that day, could of injured myself more with the shock and instability from the fall. I know that they too were having problems coming down the street with the roads being very icy but they were my knights in shinning armour that day and am grateful for their help. Thank you.

John is the best PCSO in the Durham Constabulary, an excellent people person, he gets back to me whenever he is needed to. He puts himself out even if off duty. He understands the word on the street and acts accordingly to each situation that presents itself. He is a constant face in the community and even outside his area/constabulary popping over to North Yorkshire as a cross border representative sharing and gaining local knowledge. Keeping the Rural community safe and reassuring them of a police presence. Its great having John as our Cross Border PCSO as he understands the needs and concerns that rural people have. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK WE LOVE YOU !!

Would like to nominate PCSO 6846 Vanessa Gray for a WOW award - she has served our community in Burnhope for almost 5 years and is now being moved on to a new area. We are sorry to see her go as she has given her utmost to make our village what it is today i.e. a much nicer place to live with very little crime and only the odd bout of antisocial behaviour. If an incident had been reported we knew that Vanessa would pull out all stops to solve any problems and to this end we would like to thank her for all the effort and hard work she has put into our community during the last 5 years.

I was involved in a Mental Health Act Assessment this evening which required assistance from the Police in assisting an elderly woman to leave her home to go to hospital after she was detained under the Mental Health Act. Both PC Nixon and PC Adams dealt with the patient in a very caring and sensitive manner. After all attempts to persuade the woman to leave the house of her own volition failed, the two Officers conveyed her to the waiting ambulance with the minimum of fuss, the minimum of force and with good humour. Without their sensitive and efficient involvement what was a very delicate situation could have taken considerably more time and resources from a number of agencies to resolve. With grateful thanks to both Officers.

David was first on scene at a robbery that took place in our property in Jan 13. His arrival was so prompt; one of the thieves was still in the house. Although the thieves got away, the service David provided was second to none. He kept both me and my partner calm; he went beyond his call of duty checking up on us a few days later then again a few days after that. He gave me the confidence to stay in my house following the incident and even referred us to a charity that helps people following a burglary. He didn’t just provide support to my partner and I, but also made out neighbours feel at ease and they also cannot praise him enough. We would like to thank David for everything he did and let his superiors know they have an excellent police officer.

I write with praise and admiration for the work done by DC Forster and his colleague DC Reynolds, following a break in at my home and theft of car. They were will me within 30 mins of reporting the theft and immediately on the job - be it a Sunday morning!!! I have been kept up to date as they said I would be and although the culprits have not been found it is not the fault of the police but perhaps the "cleverness" of the perpetrators.

P.C Gemma Royal first came onto my case late October 2011 as I hasd been robbed and my car stolen from a guy who had befriended me. She has kept me in touch all the way and right from the start she has said it may not be a quick resolution but assured me that she would keep at it until this guy was caught. She has never ever given up, even going to places we had been for drinks and meals putting up posters of this guy also working with many other police forces in the UK to catch this guy...she has been absolutely fantastic and has been a pure genius at her job...I could not have asked for a better officer to have taken on the case...she is amazing and I hope she gets the well deserved promotion she is going for as she has informed me today that the guy has now been caught charged and is on remand....wow she is an absolute star. Thank you Gemma and good luck in your obvious successful career.

I have usually not had great experiences when I have had cause to call the police for anything, however, when my 16 year old son and his friend were punched by local thugs, my husband told me to call the police as the area it happened in was covered by CCTV. PC Paul Vickers came to our home and was absolutely fantastic, he treat my son like an adult, took him seriously and explained why the Police will not tolerate bullying of any kind. The whole matter was followed through to a successful end and I cannot thank PC Vickers enough, and would definitely like to niminate him, and I know my son will carry this as a positive experience he has had with the Police and hopefully will not be negative about them in his future, like so many people are.

I wish for both these officers to be put forward for an award if not the Wow award then some sort of declaration for their service to a vunrable old man. They have both worked hard for me when I was feeling suicidal. PC Hornsby bought me a coffee at hospital and took me to the cash point and now I want to say thanks and Darren Rogers has been looking after me for nearly a year.

This is an extract from an e-mail sent in by a member of the public which I believe PC Brown should be recognised for: Durham Police,I would like to commend the actions and service of PC 2354 Brown. I placed a call this evening to the police and PC Brown was quick to respond, provided me with an understanding of the police process from this point onward, and set agreed timeframes for giving me an update on any progress. I think he is a credit to the force, his ability to restore faith in the service through his confidence and personality cannot be understated.I would very much like him to receive high praise indeed as Durham Constabulary is extremely lucky to have him as an officer.

PC Deakin and colleagues recently presented a "day in the life of a working dog"at our school. The day was amazing for the children with outstanding demonstrations form the dogs and their handlers. The organisation and presentation of the day, by PC Deakin, was excellent. The positive interaction by the officers has positively raised the profile of the police in our school.

Submitted on behalf of Mrs Richardson.I WENT SHOPPING AND THE WINDOWS WERE LEFT OPEN ON MY CAR. MY HUSBAND, WHO SUFFERS FROM PARKINSONS SOMETIMES CLICKS THE BUTTONS AND LEAVES THEM OPEN, HOWEVER, I DIDNT REALISE AS I WENT TO THE BOOT. THE SNOW WAS HEAVY AT THIS TIME AND WHEN I CAME BACK FROM MY CAR TODAY, REALISED ALL OF MY WINDOWS OPEN AND MY PARCELS WERE MISSING. MIKE ATKINSON APPEARED AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THAT HE HAD RETRIEVED MY PARCELS FOR SAFEKEEPING. HE WAS ABSOLUTELY MARVELLOUS WITH ME AND MY HUSBAND. NOTHING WAS A TROUBLE TO HIM AND WHATEVER HELP HE COULD GIVE ME, HE WAS VERY WILLING TO HELP IN ANY WAY HE COULD. HE WAS EASY TO TALK TO AND HELPED. HE RETRIEVED MY PARCELS AND TOOK ME BACK TO MY CAR TO MAKE SURE I DIDNT FALL AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AWAY ON SUCH A DREADFUL SNOWY DAY.

PC Rees assisted in retrieving money which was taken from my bank account via an ATM . He kept me updated and managed to bring the situation to a quick, positive outcome . I would like him to receive this award as recognition for his exemplary conduct and professionalism , he is a credit to your force.

I am the secretary of Acre Rigg Residents association in Peterlee. Carol regularly comes along to our residents association meetings and updates us with the latest crime statistics but she does much more than that. She never makes a promise or commitment that she cant keep. She always does what she says she will do and keeps you informed about what she is doing and the outcome. She is available just about 24/7 - she will answer a call on her mobile or respond to a voice-mail asking for help or support whether she is on duty or not. She is one of the most committed and dedicated members of the local team we know (no disrespect to the others who do a stirling job). But shes much more than all that. She makes a point of getting to know everyone in the community she serves - whether theyre on the right side or the wrong side of the law. She is understanding, diplomatic and fair. She wants to help people work together to make the place we live in a better one. She supports our association in all sorts of ways, whether its working with the elderly or whether we want to do a survey or campaign in the area - if she is able to, she will. If only there were a hundred more of her spread across the County - then other communities would see the value we see in her. To cap it all - shes always laughing and smiling - maybe she just loves what she does?

I would like to express my gratitude and tahnks to the officers for rescuing me from my friends car which had become stuck in a dreadful snow storm in December 2012. I would never have got home without their help and the lift I got in the police landrover. I am very greatful thank you.

Nomination submitted on behalf of IP.A card thanking PC Coulson was received from a member of the public who had been subject to a domestic assault. She personally delivered it to the police station while the officer was off duty and wanted to thank PC Coulson for all his support when she needed it. The card read YOU WERE VERY KIND TO ME AND MADE ME FEEL VERY BRAVE. YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT JOB, YOU GAVE ME TIME IN A HORRIBLE SITUATION I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. As the officers suppervisor I feel I should point this out as Alistair really did an excellent job with this lady, running her up to the hospital arranging to obtain a lengthy statement and even transporting her to another station to have her injuries photographed, fitting all of this in around the ladies child care needs. The offcier in the case deserves a degree of recognition for empowering the victim and providing an excellent service.

During the christmas period my daughter had her mobile phone stolen. Paul came to our house to take a statement and explain what would happen next. He put my daughter at her ease and encouraged her to ask questions. He also let her know that everything would be done that could be - but that the chances of recovering her phone given the circumstances were remote. I was impressed by the way Paul managed my daughters (and my) expectations. He was polite, friendly and humourous. Finally everything he promised to do - he did - and he kept us fully informed during the subsequent investigations. Well done!

On 18th November 2012, whilst returning from York on the A19, I was most unfortunate to have a tyre blow out near to the Peterlee turn off - I found myself in a very dangerous situation. Fortunately PC Mark Wearmouth happened to be travelling onto the A19 and came across me within 5mins of my accident. As this was the first time I had travelled to my daughters alone since the recent death of my husband I did find the situation quite distressing. Mark immediatley took control of the situation and assisted me in contacting my breakdown company, after waiting with me for 45mins until RAC arrived, they unfortunately were unable to help due to no spare wheel on my car (it has run flat tyres!). Mark then arranged for my car to be towed to a recovery depot in Peterlee. During this time, Mark took time to listen to my tales of woe regarding my recent bereavement and even coped well with my black labrador (who didnt particularly like the situation!) After my car was removed Mark then drove me and my dog to my daughters house in Sunderland. Thank you for The Force being with me !

I would like to nominate PC Cousins for the way he dealt with my case he kept me informed about progress even though he was on holiday, from the start he was polite, friendly and helpful. I have no doubt in my mind if he had not been as thorough the outcome would not have been as successful I would like you to thank him once again

As a victim of criminal damage to my vehicle, I was distraught. The car, I had saved for years to purchase had been damaged by a drunk criminal. He had broken into my gated apartment complex and caused over a 1600 GBP worth of damage. From speaking to others in the constabulary, it seemed like this kind of crime is common and many victims sucked it up and spent money out of their pockets and that was the way that it was.I was a distressed victim, in a foreign country that I had believed to be safe, which in fact seemed not to be. I, then, met officer Launder. She was on my side from the get go. She fought for me; to get the criminal charged and did not let him get away with a slap on his wrist. She took initiative within the department, to make sure that appropriate charges were brought forth. She went above and beyond her call of duty in assuring me, staying in touch and keeping me informed about the law. Before I met her her, I felt like the UK was soft on crime but hard on victims. She has single handedly changed my mind about the UK justice system and the level of safety that I feel. Without Officer Launders courage, attitude, professional efficiency and focus on justice – victims would suffer making Durham unsafe. Now that is WOW to me. That deserves an award!!

Incident No. DHM310. Following this incident at my home address I was visited by PC Booth who acted on the information given to him in a speedy and professional manner. The result of his investigations led to a satisfactory result for all concerned. Having read the criteria for the need to submit a WOW award I feel it necessary to submit this nomination. PC Booth is a credit to the Police Force.

PC Orridge visited me on two occasions - I am a a 74 year old woman, living alone and 3 men took £160 from me for work which they did not carry out. I know I should not have handed any money over but they worried me about the state of my roof. As it turns out, the roof is fine. PC Orridge was absolutely lovely to me and took the time to explain everything. He had a cup of tea with me and said I am not the first person this has happened to. I have been very down following this, but PC Orridge really cheered me up and gave me advice on how to be more secure in my home, given that I live alone and am vulnerable.

Hello, I would like to nominate PC 2465 Hope. I recently had my handbag stolen in Asda (Bishop Auckland). I was very upset by this and when PC Hope came round to see me about it, he was very reassuring and supportive. He has contacted me since with updates, and has promised to keep doing so until he gets a positive result. He went out of his way to calm me down and was very thorough in the steps he outlined to get a resolution - he has kept these. I think that as being involved in any way with police can be a scary situation, even if you are a victim. The supportive community face he presented more than helped me cope with all the bother involved. And on top of all that, he was a thoroughly nice chap as well. Keep up the good work Durham, it is good to see that cutbacks havent "cut back" your levels of commitment to your public! Kind regards Chele Connell

recently had problem with anti sociable behaviour on our property. Prompt response from PC wilkinson . Followed up by telephone call the next day and a visit the following day. Gave us advice on security and gave us reassurance and is also putting us in touch with various organisations. This might not seem a lot to a lot of people but we have really appreciated the support and wont be afraid to ring in the future if we have any problems.

On Wed 5th Dec 2012 I was staying with my son to babysit his 3 children while he and his wife were at work. The children aged 7 and 4 were off school sick, and the baby is 5 months old. I took a shower and locked the bathroom door. The only reason I locked the door was because Ive just had major surgery and didnt want any visitors. When I was ready to come out I couldnt get the bolt to unlock. I tried for ages but it wouldnt move. I was panic stricken. I managed to get my 7 year old granddaughter to ring 999, something shes never done before. Two police officers arrived and looked after the children, then a further two officers arrived and after a while managed to get the lock open. Ive never been so grateful to anyone in my life as I was that day. PC 2642 Rogers left his card. Thank you all for being so nice in my hour of need - Three old ladies locked in the lavatory is now my signature tune!