Hat-trick of national and regional awards for Wiltshire Police

Wiltshire Police is celebrating a hat-trick of awards recognising its commitment to supporting officers and staff who are assaulted while carrying out their duties.

The latest accolade came when Inspector Tracey Holloway received the Health and Safety Initiative Award from the Association of Police Health and Safety Advisors. 

The award recognises her outstanding contribution to advancing health and safety through innovation, proactive intervention and continuous improvement.

This follows national recognition at the Oscar Kilo Awards, where Wiltshire Police's refreshed Op Hampshire programme achieved second place. 

Judges praised the force's innovative use of automation and data integration to improve victim care, wellbeing support and organisational learning. The programme has created a faster, more joined-up process for reporting assaults, ensuring officers and staff can access timely welfare support while improving oversight of repeat victims and emerging risks.

Op Hampshire is designed to support colleagues following assaults, recognising the physical, psychological and emotional impact these incidents can have on individuals and their families.

The programme includes dedicated peer supporters, enhanced welfare provision and close collaboration with Occupational Health and TRiM practitioners to ensure tailored support is available when needed.

Chief Inspector Paul Saunders and Business Intelligence Analyst Liam Clark were also recognised for their commitment, passion and hard work. 

Chief Inspector Saunders led the local neighbourhood policing and response teams through the changes, ensuring continued focus and momentum, while Liam worked closely with Tracey to deliver valuable data insights and drive improvements that have strengthened the team's effectiveness and contribution to the organisation.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Cooper said: “These awards reflect the outstanding commitment and determination of Inspector Holloway and the wider Operation Hampshire team in tackling assaults against emergency workers.

“Every day, police officers and other emergency service workers put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. 

"While violence and abuse should never be considered part of the job, the reality is that many frontline workers continue to face these challenges while serving their communities.

“The impact of these incidents extends far beyond the workplace. Behind every uniform is an individual with family, friends and loved ones, all of whom are affected when an emergency worker is assaulted.

“Assaults on emergency workers are never acceptable, and we remain committed to supporting victims, pursuing offenders and reinforcing the message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Earlier this year, Inspector Holloway was also named Unsung Hero at the Wiltshire Police Federation Awards, recognising her work to simplify reporting processes, strengthen post-assault support and improve the quality of information captured following incidents.

Much of this work has been driven by her passion for staff wellbeing, including developing a network of peer supporters and helping line managers better support colleagues after traumatic incidents.

Inspector Holloway said: "These awards are recognition of the collective effort across the Force to ensure officers and staff who are assaulted receive the support they need. 

"We are committed to challenging the idea that assaults are simply 'part of the job' and to putting the wellbeing of our people at the heart of our response.

"While it is fantastic to receive this recognition, we remain focused on continuing to improve, listening to our people and ensuring anyone affected by an assault feels supported, valued and able to access the right help when they need it."

The awards, the force says, recognise Wiltshire Police's ongoing commitment to putting the person behind the uniform first and ensuring those affected by assaults receive the care and support they deserve.

(PIctures: Wiltshire Police)