Adam was around our area informing people of local burglaries in the community. We spoke to him about having problems with our little boy Kevin. Adam came and spoke to Kev. He has also been around regularly to monitor Kevins behaviour.Though this monitoring Kevins behaviour has changed and he is now behaving himself more due to Adams help. He has helped our family move forward as has been a good role model to Kevin.

Right at the birth of the idea of an Olympics-themed festival for Great Lumley, Mark stepped up as a champion for the event. He declared his intention to be 100% behind the award from both a professional and personal standpoint.At a public meeting a few weeks later he stood up and declared his total support for the idea with conviction and enthusiasm. The decision to go ahead with Going for Gold Great Lumley Festival was based in no small measure on Marks impassioned presentation.He joined the organising committee and demonstrated that his commitment was much more than fine words. Little did he know, however, that a few weeks later he would be struck down by a heart attack. This took Mark out of the arrangements at a key time and we expected to hear nothing more from him for a long time.We were wrong. A few weeks later he was back - his enthusiasm undimmed. Much of the organisaion was well in hand but he had promised to help and he did. Wise advice, good contacts and promises of practical help were all forthcoming and he did not disappoint.At one point I was told (by others) that they could not see how he could attend the event over the weekend because of his rest day arrangements. Rest days or not he turned up as promised and gave fantastic support and encouragement.Mark went way beyond the call of duty for us simply because he believed this event would be good for the community. Im told there can be some cynicsm in the police force about the impact of events like Going for Gold. In this case the cynics would be wrong because the voice of the community would say otherwise. Going for Gold was a positive success in bringing diverse sections of the community together. Time (or the crime statistics) will tell but Great Lumley is much better for the personal and professional input of Mark Lumsden.I am delighted to nominate Mark for a WOW Award.

PCSO Heseltine attended our home as part of the response to an attempted break-in of one of our sheds on Tuesday 10th July 2012. She spent a considerable amount of time suggesting various ways of improving security around the property and was both knowledgeable and inovative with her suggestions. Her manner was professional yet friendly and as a result of her intervention we have already been able to impliment some of her ideas. My husband and myself felt this officer to be worthy of a commendation as she was so helpful throughout the investigation.

On Tuesday 10th July we were victims of an attempted break-in to one of our garden sheds. Various police officers attended our call for help at approximately 7.00.a.m. Following their intervention a youth was repremanded the following day. P.C. Garrett telephoned to give a very accurate and succinct account of what was to happen and proceeded to outline how we would be kept informed . He then rang after the week-end to give an update after the youth had been in front of the Magistrates. This is superb policing and my husband and myself would like to acknowledge our gratitude to this police officer for his professionalism in executing his role and put his name forward for commendation.

Submitted on behalf of Mrs Anne JonesI recently had the misfortune to be conned by a so called gardener who offered to maintain my garden but then made off with my money. DC Goad and DC Horner attended and were very supportive, considerate and understanding to the stress that this has caused me. I have nothing but respect and gratitude for both officers who are a credit to Durham Constabulary.

PC King attended our residence within minutes of my husband making a 999call on Tuesday 10th July 2012 at approximately 7.00.a.m. reporting an attempted break-in at one of the sheds on our property. PC King was the first of several officers on the scene and within a very short time was able with the help of his dog to pick up the scent of the offender. PC King displayed superb skills and we were more than impressed with his handling of the situation.He kept us fully informed and reassured. His attitude was professional at all times. We very much appreciate his intervention and unreservedly commend him for a Wow award.

Submitted on behalf of Michelle JoplingOn 20th August, 2011, I was subject of an incident which will continue to have an impact on the rest of my life.Alone and afraid, I called 999 and PC Campbell attended to me at the scene. Despite my distress, he was calm and supportive. He was patient and kind; qualities that I desperately needed at the time. Throughout the subsequent investigation period, I have been communicating with PC Matt Bartsch who has been nothing less than amazing all of the time. He has kept me updated through the whole process and made time for me when I had questions or queries. He has always delivered information clearly and been considerate of my circumstances.I feel that the officers should be recognised for everything that they have done for me as I simply cannot find the words to thank them enough.

PC K. Lawrence attended our residence within minutes of my husband ringing 999 on Tuesday 10th July 2012 at approximately 7.00.a.m. regarding an attempted break-in to one of the sheds on our property. She was professional throughout the whole interview. Her questioning skills were probing ,concise and sensitive. She offerred to refer us for further support which we appreciated but felt was not necessary. My husband and myself were very impressed by the total response given that morning and feel PC Lawrence should receive recognition for her intervention.

Submitted on behalf of Ms CanneyOn 25th June 2012, my neighbour noticed that at almost midnight one of my windows was open. Despite ringing me on my mobile, knowcking on the door and ringing the bell, he was unable to waken me. Knowing that my friend had a spare key he rang her but to no avail.Both being extremely worried, they contacted the Police and PC Hopps brought my friend to the house allowing PC Hopps to gain entry to see that everything was okay. PC Hopps was very calm, kind and patient and a credit to his uniform.

Submitted on behalf of Anne-Marie Cutmore.On 09/07/2012 DS Kinnane spoke with Anne-Marie Cutmore following on from the letter of appreciation that she had submitted recognising all the support, advise and guidance that DC Cresswell had provided throughout a criminal investigation and subsequent court process. Anne-Marie stated that without DC Cresswells support during what she described as a very traumatic period in her life, she would not have been able to cope.

On Tuesday night the 19th June 2012 at approximately 23.00 hours I and my wife were driving from Malton to the A691. Between Durham and the A1 turn off on the dual carriageway we broke down. I turned on the flashing lights. Fortunately PC Reay saw us and came behind us to see what was wrong. He left his blue lights flashing to light up our presence on the very fast and busy road. He was really helpful and phoned our Insurers and did all he could for us. He stayed with us until around 1.00 am when the breakdown truck arrived to take us home. He was most helpful and reassuring and we were very pleased that he was able to stay with us. We thought that PC Reay by his actions went beyond the call of duty.

I was burgled over the weekend of 6th July and the incident was attended by DC Ripley who attended extremely promptly, was very professional and spent a lot of time with me understanding what had happened. Although it was stressful for me DC Ripley helped me though the situation and enabled me to get information from banks etc that I wouldnt have thought of doing myself. His extremely professional and caring manner put me at rest and reassured me. DC Ripley followed up with me later in the day to advise that he had already identified a suspect, not only was I extremely impressed but I was very reassured to have been given follow up so rapidly. Despite it being an unpleasant incident, Durham Constabulary showed themselves to be very professional, very caring and citizen focussed - all I can say is thanks to DC Ripley and well done to Durham Constabulary.

My teenage son went to stay overnight with his Gran on the 30th of June. He took his beloved bike with him and foolishly left it in her rear garden. Myself and his father always drum it into him never ever to leave his bike anywhere and this was the fisrt time he had ever done this. To his horror he awoke the next day to find his pride and joy had vanished! A bit of background to this bike before I go any further and people think "its just a bike". My husband has always ensured that our children have the best bikes we can possibly afford partly due to his dad dying of bone cancer when my husband was just 6 and the last gift he had was a lovely new grifter. When we bought Antonio his latest one just before Christmas 2010 my husband discovered he would be working away in Iraq and it would be his first christmas without seeing them. He was also very worried he may not see them again as his job was very dangerous. It was expensive and we couldnt really afford it but we borrowed and Antonio was astonished and over the moon with his Dads present to him on Xmas day. Since then it has been well cared for. He participates in 4X Biking locally and sometimes travels for his sport, he is quite talented and has all the professional protective gear. His bike is so much more to him than just a bike. It was duly reported stolen and a very helpful, Police Officer (PC RUCK) came out to take details, she forwarded a photo and email to other officers kept in touch with me via email over the next 4 days and she was a great help keeping me informed and starting the ball rolling. We started to lose hope until a call from my mum to say police had been in touch and recovered my sons bike! This was July the 4th, it had felt like a long 4 days but to think it took only 4 days to recover it is amazing! Especially when you take into account that PC ROGOWSKI had only seen PC RUCKs email that very morning and he had only just come back on duty after being off!!!! He was driving down a local road in plain clothing when he saw and recognised the bike, even though it had been painted and various bits had been changed. Truly incredible that he instantly knew this was the stolen bike he had seen that very morning in the email! We never thought we would be lucky enough to get it back. PC ROGOWSKI has explained each and every stage of the process to us, he was patient and listened to my son and myself whilst taking the time to write statements and Victim Statements, we felt totally at ease with him and more importantly that he cared. He even brought Antonios bike home to us himself today and updated us on the cases progress so far, we feel so lucky that PC ROGOWSKI read our email and was attentive enough to recognise a disguised stolen bike. We cant thank him enough and feel he thoroughly deserves to be nominated to WOW.

Mark cares deeply about the community he work is in and as a charity that operates in his area we see first hand the interaction he has in our community in Great Lumley. He goes often beyond his job role to help the community of Great Lumley helping and interacting with young and old alike. He is a COMMUNITY officer in so many ways and will help anyway he can whether it be a police issue or someone needing a listening ear; he makes time for all. He has too many things to single out one thing would be difficult.

Dog badly injured on Wharton Park,Durham, during the morning of 4th June...a bank holiday. Mr Dowdle, who thank goodness was visiting the park at the time in the line of duty, went out of his way to track down a vet who was on duty, and to help me get to my car so that I could drive the dog to the vet.

I would like to nominate PC Billy Crampsie, for all of the work he has done to he the young people of Stanhope, A lot of the young people were going around the streets on their scooters and bikes being a danger to themselves and also to people walking around. Billy sat down with them and together they are trying to find funds to get a skate park for them in Stanhope, Billy is not just a Police officer, he is a very friendly face in the community, and no one deserves an award like he does. He really is a brilliant community minded police officer!

Iwould like to nominate PC Spencer for a WOW award for his exemporily conduct when attending a road traffic accident i was recently involved in. He was so courteous, polite, understanding and professional,not only to me but to everyone else involved. He is a credit to your police force

Myself and the committee of The Crookhall Foundation recently held a grand opening, after 16 years of hard slog, tied in with the fact that we are the first field in County Durham to apply and be successful in becoming a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee field. Cath Egan was asked to come along and sure enough she "policed" the whole day from enjoying it to traffic parking and crowd control. Many thanks and I hope she can keep her promise and return for the Big Meeting in July and do the same.

PC Henry and PCSO Feldon attained following damage to property caused by some local youngsters. Both went out of their way to identify the young people involved. They kept me updated with regards to the progress and through their involvement the young person responsible was identified, apologised and paid in full for the repairs to be completed. If it had not been for the commitment shown by Alistair and Ian I would have been left significantly out of pocket and feel that their approach and handling of the situation was a credit to them and Durham Police Authority.

Inspector Turner has led a number of important initiatives through partnership working, that have dramatically reduced the level of crime and the fear of crime. He responds quickly to the concerns of the community and is a very effective leader of his staff. I beleive his hard work and dedication is making a significant improvement to the lives of the people in the Consett Area John OConnor Chairman of the Derwent Valley Partnership

I have been greatly impressed by this young officers enthusiasm and involvement in our local community. He has been like a breathe of fresh air and has so many good ideas and he is also prepared to listen to our suggestions and act on them. Already in the short time he has been with us he has helped to instigate a traffic calming initiative next to our school. He has helped us during community litter picks and is well liked by the pupils. I believe he needs a WOW award!! Mrs Monica Connor Headteacher St. Josephs RCVA Primary School Coundon.

On the morning of Monday 30th April 2012, damage was discovered to the play house in the grounds of Bishop Ian Ramsey School, Medomsley which had occurred over the weekend. On Wednesday 2nd April 2012 PCSO Julie Brown attended the school and viewed the CCTV of the resultant damage and vandalism. Having recognised the group of youths, she took immediate action by visiting their addresses and speaking to those responsible for the criminal damage. Her prompt action has had an extremely positive effect in that those responsible for the damage have stayed away from the school and no further incidents have occurred to date, leaving the amenities in place for the children to enjoy.

I wish to nominate Chris for a Wow award for his valuable contribution to St Josephs school. His actions have resulted in a much needed petition to employ an essential school crossing patrol officer for both schools in Coundon. Chris has also organised the police dogs Ben and Jet to visit the school to increase the childrens awareness on road safety, internet safety and stranger danger. Chris has offered support and advice in our community monthly coffee afternoons and has successfully got involved with the local community. Due to Chris frequent visits to St Josephs the children are beginning to see him as not only a friend but a role model.

Amanda has gone out of her way throughout the last 10 weeks to support my Uniformed Public Services students with a project they have carried out with Durham Constabulary at Peterlee Police Station. She took a considerable amount of responsibility for planning and working with the students to achieve the projects objectives. This included taking on jobs that had not been tasked to her and providing support to cover absent colleagues. During the project Amanda has developed a friendly and trusting relationship with the students. The group feel able to talk openly to her and often stop to chat with her in Peterlee Town Centre when they see her on patrol. Her patience, tenacity and determination to do her best for all the students has been notable throughout the project and she is a credit to Durham Constabulary.

We are two sisters who share a house and we had a horrible week last week (beginning on Friday 27th April 2012) when a gang of youths began to vandalise the fence and gate of the empty house next door to where we live in Shildon. We were already worried about our security following a large part of the fence being stolen and so when this gang returned to kick down more of the fence day after day (during the afternoon over the weekend and early evening on weekdays) we felt really desperate for help because we thought they would start on our fence next and be able to get into our garden. After we’d had to call the police out 5 times in 6 days as further damage occurred daily it was decided that PCSO Gemma Ryder should patrol the area behind our houses in the hope that a regular police presence would scare the gang off. Last Wednesday (2nd May 2012) on the very first evening of her patrolling Gemma along with a colleague PCSO Daniel Blackwood, called at our home at 8pm to reassure us that she would be around often and it just happened that they were actually in our house when we heard the gang arrive and start kicking at the fence for the second time that day. We’ve never seen anyone move as quickly, Gemma and Daniel were out of our house and round the corner in no time at all and rounded the gang up before they had time to run away. Within ten minutes Gemma was back to tell us she had the names and addresses of them all and had warned them that if there was any more anti-social behaviour or vandalism she would know who it was and they would be in serious trouble. Since then we have had no more trouble at all and we believe that is because Gemma has a no nonsense approach that kids understand, we think she is a wonderful ambassador for the police. Gemma called back later in the week to check all was well and has visited us again today to reassure us that she is still keeping an eye on the place. We are really thankful to Gemma for restoring our peace of mind and for her kindness to us when we were so upset about the gang and feeling very vulnerable.