A couple who survived the Tunisian beach terrorist attack which killed 30 Britons were among those recognised at a police awards ceremony in Norwich.
Tony and Chris Callaghan, from North Walsham, were both recognised at the Norfolk Safer Community Awards (NOSCAs) held at the Holiday Inn, Norwich North.
Norfolk's chief constable described the Callaghans as a 'hugely inspirational couple' before announcing they were to be awarded a special recognition award.
The pair were given a moving standing ovation as they took to the stage to collect their award.
Mr Callaghan and his wife, who has suffered life-changing injuries, were both shot while on a week's holiday at the Imperial Marhaba hotel in Sousse.
Mr Callaghan, 63, said they were 'overwhelmed' by the award and ovation.
'We're just Tony and Chris. It's a bit overwhelming – we certainly didn't expect any of this.
'To be invited here to be given a special award was more than we ever dreamt of and then to have a standing ovation... it means so much, so much, to us.
'Just the love and care that we've had – it's absolutely inspirational.'
Also given special recognition by Chief Constable Simon Bailey were family liaison officers Det Con Samantha Mortimer and PC Neil Smith, who have helped the family of Hemsby student Hannah Witheridge, who would have been 25 yesterday, but was murdered in September last year in Thailand.
The officers helped Miss Witheridge's family, including parents Sue and Tony, travel to Thailand following her death, helped secure repatriation of the 23-year-old's body back to the UK as well as providing ongoing support.
The eighth annual NOSCAs event celebrated outstanding contributions made by police officers, PCSOs, police staff and members of the community was hosted by Norfolk's chief constable, Simon Bailey.
As well as representatives from the police and other emergency services, other dignitaries present included Norfolk's High Sheriff, Nicholas Pratt; Lord Mayor of Norwich Brenda Arthur; and Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk Richard Jewson.
Mr Bailey said: 'It's a fantastic opportunity for the constabulary to recognise the efforts of its police officers, staff and members of the community who make the difference they make to our communities and keep Norfolk the safe county that it is.'
Two officers recognised for their bravery were PC Mark Brooks and Sgt Derek Rutter after they risked their own lives to help save a man who suffered a 33,000 volt electric shock following an incident on farmland at Felmingham in April last year.
They found drilling rig worker Jon Howes unconscious after the lorry gantry he was working on came into contact with a power line. PC Brooks and Sgt Rutter have been nominated in the Police Bravery Awards 2015 after they dragged Mr Howes to safety while the cables were still live.
Also recognised for their bravery were Sgt Steven Smith and PC Robert Ellis who helped save a man trapped in a burning car after it crashed into a tree in Hunstanton last November.
The officers entered the vehicle and freed the man, who was unconscious and impaled by a wooden fencing baton.
They dragged him away from the flame-engulfed car to safety and gave first aid until paramedics arrived.
Mr Bailey added: 'I wish to congratulate everyone who was nominated for an award this year. With an increased number of nominations over last year and an extremely high standard of entries, competition was intense. I am proud to be in a role which allows me to lead a Constabulary so firmly focused on the needs of our community.'
Full list of winners
Student Officer of the Year Award (Sponsored by City College Norwich)
Winner: PC Georgia Livock
Runner Up: PC Harriet Lucas
Georgia has grown quickly into her role as a police officer, already dealing with sensitive domestic violence incidents, in which a man was given a restraining order. In a separate case a defendant pleaded guilty to assault, all due to Georgia's grasp of policing skills. She has also led a proactive investigation into a drug supply network, which led to several arrests.
The John Cecil Mason Volunteer of the Year Award (Sponsored by The Police & Crime Commissioner for Norfolk)
Winner: Stuart Malkovich
Runner Up: Nigel Evans
Stuart's commitment to volunteering is admirable, contributing over 2,000 hours of his time since 2010. He plays a vital role freeing up police officers' time by driving personnel carriers in the Gorleston area, role playing at headquarters in Wymondham and being one of Norfolk Constabulary's Mystery Shoppers, where he and others carry out real life scenarios to check security measures in place at police stations.
Special Constabulary Officer of the Year Award (Sponsored by the East of England Co-operative)
Winner: Sp Sgt Hannah Marshall
Runner Up: Sp Con Lewis Jameson
Hannah is nominated for going the extra mile for her community in her role as a Special Sergeant in South Norfolk. She is described as a good listener and problem solver who puts others before herself. Her help and guidance for those coming into policing is much applauded, as is the commitment to her work, which is on top of having a full-time job and bringing up four children.
Police Staff Member of the Year (Sponsored by Reed Specialist Recruitment)
Winner: Mrs. Amanda Murr
Runner Up: Mrs. Diana Baxter
Amanda is the face of the constabulary for Safeguarding and Investigations with responsibilities for the force's strategy on domestic and honour-based abuse, stalking, forced marriage and female genital mutilation. She communicates key messages within the force but also builds confidence among communities by working with partners to protect adults and children who are vulnerable to abuse.
Young Citizen(s) of the Year (Sponsored by Shell UK Exploration & Production)
Joint Winner: Police Cadet Stuart Lindsay
Joint Winner: Police Cadet Hannah Street
Stuart has been a Volunteer Police Cadet for the past 10 months, growing in confidence and now offering guidance to other cadets. He has offered door-to-door reassurance to vulnerable residents prior to Bonfire Night for Operation Gunpowder and assisted in an Anti Social Behaviour survey listening to the public's concerns. Stuart regularly gives up his time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Hannah has been a committed and enthusiastic cadet for 18 months. She was recently awarded a Chief Constable's good work record for helping to locate a high- risk missing person whilst carrying out Anti Social Behaviour patrols in Thetford town centre. Hannah recently completed work experience at Thetford Police Station where she was praised for her hard work and effort.
Investigator of the Year (Sponsored by Holiday Inn, Norwich North)
Winner: DS Christopher Burgess
Runner Up: DC Kim Taylor
From just one photograph taken by the victim of a rape in Norwich on a mobile phone, Chris was able to link the perpetrator to a string of rapes as well as a further series of attacks on other victims in Cambridgeshire. The quality of Chris' evidence and his investigative skills led to the accused pleading guilty to 11 serious offences for which he is now serving a life sentence.
Problem Solver of the Year (Sponsored by Kevin Piper Media)
Winner: Broadland OPT (Operational Partnership Team)
Runner Up: CPC (County Policing Command) Great Yarmouth
The Broadland team launched a year-long campaign targeting nuisance and malicious communications, which were accounting for a fifth of all Anti Social Behaviour calls in the area. A range of traditional and innovative ways of creating awareness and education of the issue in the district brought about a 22% reduction in calls by the end of the campaign.
Community Citizen(s) of the Year (Sponsored by The Police & Crime Commissioner for Norfolk)
Winner: Nula Cooper
Runner Up: Aurelio Spinola
Nula Cooper is the Project Manager and Link Worker for EP Youth Limited at Fakenham who instigated Wells Hub, a place for young people to meet and take part in activities. The youth office was destroyed by fire last year but Nula swiftly negotiated new premises to ensure support was not interrupted. She works alongside Fakenham Academy providing support to identified vulnerable students and actively supports the police in their work.
The Chief Constable's Special Recognition Award (Sponsored by Norfolk Chamber of Commerce)
Recipients: Tony and Chris Callaghan
In June, Tony and his wife Chris were on holiday in Tunisia where they were involved in the horrific shooting on Sousse beach. Tony, a Property Officer at North Walsham Police Station, heard what he recognised as gunfire coming from the beach area of the complex. Tony and Chris ran and hid in the hotel and both sustained serious gunshot injuries, which in Chris' case are life-changing. Both the Callaghans showed immense bravery throughout the attack and have displayed fortitude and positivity since the incident, despite the severity of their injuries.
Recipients: DC Samantha Mortimer and PC Neil Smith
Samantha and Neil have been Family Liaison Officers for and have hugely assisted the family of Hannah Witheridge, following her murder in September 2014 on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand. Within days, and through the support and assistance of the officers, Hannah's parents were able to travel to Thailand to engage with the Thai authorities, securing the repatriation of Hannah back to Britain. The support provided to the Witheridge family allowed them to honour Hannah's memory and they have regularly spoken of their thanks and gratitude for all the officers' assistance, which remains ongoing.
The Bravery Award (Sponsored by Capita Consulting)
Recipients: Sergeant Steve Smith and PC Robert Ellis
In November 2014, a car came off Cromer Road in Hunstanton, colliding with a large tree and causing a fire to start in the vehicle. The officers arrived on the scene and noticed a man still trapped in the vehicle. Without hesitation and clearly putting themselves in danger, they entered the vehicle and freed the man, who was unconscious and impaled by a wooden fencing baton. They dragged the man away from the burning vehicle to safety and gave first aid to the severely injured man until the arrival of paramedics.
Recipients: PC Mark Brooks and Sergeant Derek Rutter
They attended an industrial accident where a man had accidentally touched overhead power lines with a telescopic drill in April 2014. The man was unconscious and trapped under a vehicle, with power lines in close proximity. Both officers risk assessed the situation and despite the danger to themselves, entered the area and pulled the male to safety. Ambulance staff had originally thought the man was dead, but reassessed his injuries as life changing or life threatening and he has since made a recovery.
Community Officer of the Year – Police Officer (Sponsored by Eastern Daily Press)
Winner: PC James Stables
Runner Up: PC Tony Lester
James is Beat Manager for Diss and has got to grips with a number of entrenched and complicated matters that have caused concern to the community. His great working relationship with partner agencies has helped to target individuals and a notorious organised crime group. James is described as a very visible, approachable and reassuring face for the people of Diss.
Community Officer of the Year – PCSO
Winner: PCSO Malcolm Cornaby
Runner Up: PCSO Steve Smith
Malcolm, or Mac as he is known by his colleagues in Norwich West, has achieved excellent results in the last twelve months. He works with several children's homes building relationships with those at risk of harm and offering a dramatic improvement in their chances of staying safe. Mac also has a good nose for crime, evidenced by his arrest of a person acting suspiciously resulting in the recovery of tools from 16 van thefts carried out that day.
Police Dog of the Year (Sponsored by Royal Canin)
Chosen by Norfolk Constabulary's Facebook community
Winner: PC 1189 James Wells & PD Shuck
Following an incident where a woman and two children were assaulted, Shuck was tasked with finding the assailant, who had run off on foot. Shuck located a track through swampy waste ground, open grassland, woods and thorny bushes and barked near a reeded area where the man was spotted hiding by PC Wells.
Outstanding Team of the Year (Sponsored by Dardan Security)
Winner: Criminal Justice Reform Team
Runner Up: Integrated Mental Health Team
It has been an outstanding year for the Criminal Justice Reform Team and the substantial and unprecedented change they have led in digital and video working within the criminal justice system. This has focused on improving the experience of officers and staff and leading reforms with partner agencies – including virtual courts and live links – while always retaining a clear focus on supporting victims and witnesses.
Safer Neighbourhood Team of the Year (Sponsored by Capgemini)
Winner: Hunstanton LPC
Runner Up: Fakenham SNT
Hunstanton LPC is a proactive team with customer service at the forefront. They often assist response colleagues when demand is high despite their own workloads and have successfully worked to gain the trust of people at risk of sexual and physical abuse and create specific response plans to aid them. They also identified £175,000 of fraud by rogue traders, which has now led to a closer working relationship with Trading Standards.
In addition, two special presentations were made on the night
· Community Officer of the Year, PC James Stables, was presented with the Jim Wilson Plate which is presented annually to the Community Police Officer of the Year by ex-Chairman of the Police Authority, Jim Wilson
- Student Officer of the Year, PC Georgia Livock, received the Armada Plate which is awarded annually to the student police officer who has shown the most significant improvement.
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