Diversity in Action Award 2007
Sponsored by The Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales
Name: Shepton Mallet safer neighbourhood team - PC Steve Hubbard, PC James Waugh and community support officer Penny Freestone
Force: Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Team Highlights: Before the team's formation, Shepton Mallet saw a steady influx of Portuguese migrants, whose relationship with the police was non-existent and full of distrust, the force says. PC Hubbard and the team started to hold monthly surgeries, and began a daily drop-in policy for the community.
They also spent six months making daily visits to a local cafe where the Portuguese community met, fostering good relations with the staff and the owner.
There is now a police file in the cafe containing advice for the Portuguese about English law.
What others say: Angelina Ramos and Estrela Rama, the cafe's owner and assistant, say: 'They are always there to help, and are kind, polite and pay special attention to all the Portuguese.'
Name: Recruitment team at police headquarters: Sarah Knight and Hayley Watson
Force: Cambridgeshire Constabulary
Team Highlights: Cambridgeshire has experienced a substantial rise in immigration in recent years. Peterborough, for example, has residents from 93 different nationalities, speaking more than 100 languages. As a result, Sarah Knight and Hayley Watson were set the challenge of recruiting a representative community support officer workforce. Ms Knight went out on the streets with CSOs and recorded a DVD about the job to show at recruitment and careers events. According to the force, 
the pair even convinced people they met socially to apply for CSO posts. The force now has 20 languages spoken by its CSO staff, including Urdu, Lithuanian, Dutch and Malayan.
What others say: 'Their work has been commented on by many in the community as making a very real difference to the business of policing Cambridgeshire,' the force says.
Names: Sgt Brian Hughes , Sebastian Wojszwillo, Krysztof Pazowski, Aneta Jackowska and Edward Dobrowski
Force: Cheshire Constabulary
Team Highlights: With the Polish population in Crewe numbering more than 4,000 people, the force's eastern area diversity officer Sgt Brian Hughes realised an urgent push was needed to integrate them into the community.
The team has been busy smoothing out a host of problems which otherwise could have escalated, says the force.
These have included explaining restrictions on pub licensing hours and explaining that carrying a knife for personal protection is illegal in Britain.
The team has also worked with colleges to set up language lessons for Poles, as well as courses on British law.
What others say: A force spokesman says: 'Trust has become strong with the Polish community, therefore intelligence is going from strength to strength.'
Name: Plymouth division diversity team: Sgt Simon Hardwick, PC Sue Watson, PC Keith Donohue, PC Graeme Kirkup.
Force: Devon and Cornwall Constabulary
Team Highlights: Devon and Cornwall have a sizeable population of Kurdish, Asian and Chinese people and the team have worked hard to solve violent incidents within these communities, according to the force. Plymouth's annual multi-cultural Respect festival is the centrepiece for much of the team's activities and a football tournament has pulled together many young men from various backgrounds. PC Watson was also heavily involved in running a same-sex domestic violence campaign launched at the Plymouth Pride event.
What others say: Ann Wilkinson, director of Plymouth Racial Equality Council, says: 'The basic command unit diversity team's football tournament was community cohesion at its best.'
Names: DC Lorna Gallimore and James Sharp
Force: Dorset Police
Team Highlights: 'People who are deaf or hard of hearing in Dorset now find it easier to communicate with the police because of the work of DC Gallimore and James Sharp in becoming police liaison officers for the deaf - otherwise known as PLODs. The pair have made themselves the point of contact for all force staff dealing with deaf members of the public, give training on the issues to all new bobbies and community support officers on the subject and have filmed a video on how all staff should treat people with hearing difficulties which has been handed out across the force.
What others say: A force spokesman says: 'Both Lorna and James have devoted a tremendous amount of time to this vulnerable group. The leadership and personal responsibility they have shown has been nothing short of outstanding.'
Name: Teesdale neighbourhood Policing Team: Insp Kevin Tuck and Sgt Edward Turner
Force: Durham Constabulary
Team Highlights: Teesdale is traditionally a stop for the gypsy and Traveller community along the route taken to the Appleby Horse Fair in Cumbria and in previous years there have been confrontations between Travellers and the settled communities along the route. Insp Tuck and Sgt Turner worked on combating the problem. This included installing temporary CCTV, using community support officers to reassure local residents and setting up a telephone advice line for both Travellers and the local community to report problems and seek advice.
What others say: Michael Banks, an assistant chief constable of the force, says: 'This is an excellent example of translating the constabulary's commitment to equality and diversity into practice.'
Name: PC Richard Staff and PC Nobby Jutla
Force: Hertfordshire Constabulary
Team Highlights: PC Staff and PC Jutla, from the force's hate crime unit, have successfully bridged the gap between the police and the community, according to the force and have also taken over delivering diversity training to new recruits.
All student officers now spend a day with the duo, which includes visits to a mosque, a Sikh gurdwara and a synagogue. Operationally, they have tackled an outbreak of racist graffiti. By using extensive monitoring and surveillance the offender was seized, prosecuted and received a custodial sentence for racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage. As a result, instances 
of the offence in their area have fallen by 79 per cent.
What others say: A force spokesman says: 'Nobby and Richard are consistently dedicated to identifying community issues and then providing practical solutions.'
Names: PC Paula Robertson and Insp Ian McCann
Force: Lancashire Constabulary
Team Highlights: With a large deaf community, Lancashire Constabulary devised Operation Sign to communicate effectively with them. The team rolled out a raft of initiatives including a deaf awareness training programme in which each officer received a day's awareness training. They also helped to develop a DVD. According to the force, since some officers have started wearing a badge indicating they understand sign language, one has reported being approached by more deaf people than ever before.
What others say: One deaf member of the community told a force and community meeting: 'A police officer knocked on the door. I opened the door and told the officer I was deaf by pointing to my ears but she replied in sign language: "It is ok, do not worry, I can sign." I invited her in and she spoke to my sons about football and they are always telling people now: "Wow, a police officer who can sign".'
Names: PC Mike Alford, community support officer Anna Odrowaz-Coates
Force: Lincolnshire Police
Team Highlights: The main immigrant communities in South Lincolnshire have come to the UK from Portugal and Eastern Europe.
PC Alford and Anna Odrowaz-Coates have been instrumental in assisting in their integration into the community, according to the force.
Their work has included setting up an independent advisory group, which has helped draw 
together members of the Chinese, Asian and Muslim communities with Latvian, Russian and Polish people living in the area.
They have also published a multi-lingual guide to the law, designed and published by the pair in a number of languages.
What others say: Peter Davies, an assistant chief constable, says: I can confidently say that the excellent work of this team has made a significant contribution to the reputation of the force.'
Name: Management development and training: Alison Wingate, Sgt William McAdam, Helen Roberts, Paul Chaloner, Karen Walker, Sandra Harrison
Force: Merseyside Police
Team Highlights: When a member of the Traveller community dies, it is very rare that an 'outsider' is invited to their requiem mass, the force says. But thanks to the hard work of Merseyside Police's diversity team, they were invited to pay their last respects to the head of the family whom they had helped. The team is responsible for introducing the Traveller training module in the force's advanced people skills development programme, which has now been adopted by a number of other forces and agencies. The force has seen an increase in hate crime detections and reports since the team began its work.
What others say: Bernard Lawson, assistant chief constable, says: 'The respect for the team came from deep within the community in its willingness in welcoming them to the funeral.'
Name: Islington lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender liaison team: PC Scott Whittaker (below), PC Julian Osborne, PC Rachel Snow, Sgt Joe White, PC Rachel Cox, Sgt Rob Webb, PC Jenny Thorp, PC Alan Pankhurst, Liz Raven, PC Stuart Watts
Force: Metropolitan Police
Team Highlights: PC Scott Whittaker is so dedicated to his work that he spends Saturday nights working at a nightclub in London making contact with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, the force says.
In the past 18 months he and his team have seen sanctioned detections for homophobic crime increase by 25 per cent; the best in the force. PC Whittaker also spends four hours every week answering calls from the LGBT community, working with victims of homophobic crime and offering assurance.
What others say: His force says: 'The results [of the team's work] speak for themselves and are evidenced in both qualitative and quantative terms. The many letters of appreciation received at Islington police station provide evidence of the quality of the team's work.'
Name:Central area hate crime unit: Det Insp Richard Graveling, DC Gary Dack, Det Sgt Ian Fox, PC Val Green, PC Richard Vincent and Jonathan Scholey
Force: Norfolk Constabulary
Team Highlights: Norfolk has only two gay-friendly social venues and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population is not easily reached as a result. The team set about appealing for people who had been subject to hate crime to contact them.
They showed adverts before films at the cinema and wrote articles for Norfolk's only gay publication.
The team has also set up useful initiatives including a new confidential reporting technique and covert cameras to root out criminals.
What others say: Kevin Wilkins, acting deputy chief constable of the force, says: 'The team has made a significant contribution towards gaining the trust and confidence of the community they serve.'
Name: The Open Door Project team: PC Gary McLeod, Monika Thomas, Malgorzata Skorupa, Agnieszka Gregorczyk, Robert Kwietniewski and Marta Kwietniewski
Force: North Wales Police
Team Highlights: The Open Door Project started life as a 'virtual' help centre, providing translation services to the Polish community through phone, e-mail or text. As it grew, the team set up an information drop-in centre and a 10-week course in English. At the last count, 1,348 individuals had visited the centre and sought advice about other agencies and legal support.
What others say: David Hanson, MP for Delyn, says: 'Migrant workers have a positive impact on the local economy and this new initiative will provide the Polish community with more of the information they need to integrate into Flintshire life. It should be seen as an important stepping stone towards building a sense of cohesion.'
Name: All different each unique team: Insp David Gibson, Sgt Alan Hawke, Constable Laura Fisher, Reserve Constable William Oliver
Force: Police Service of Northern Ireland
Team Highlights: In February 2006 there was a spate of orchestrated and paramilitary-led attacks on the homes of ethic minority groups in south Belfast. This led to the formation of the Polish Association, an integration strategy, a 24-hour minority liaison officer and police and local residents attending language classes.
The amount of racial attacks subsided and the Polish community's confidence in the police has soared, according to the force.
What others say: Kieran Goodman, of the Department for Social Development, says: 'It is testimony to Insp Gibson's leadership qualities and common sense approach that the broad range of contentious issues have been sensitively and successfully dealt with at a local level to the point where I have received verbal commendation for their work from community leaders and elected representatives.'
Name: Sharrow and South West Sheffield safer neighbourhood team: Insp Craig Patchett, Sgt Alan Boyle, PC Bobby Dev, PC David Spencer, PC Tom Goodhill, community support officers Sarah Hague, Sara Bell, Michael Mason, PC Karl Reynolds, Special constable Andrew Bentley and safer neighbourhoods officer Garry Collingwood.
Force: South Yorkshire Police
Team Highlights: Apna Lok (meaning 'our community' in Urdu) was set up to develop the trust and confidence of the black and ethnic minority community. The team recruited parents from the Muslim community to help them better address the issues of young Muslims and set up a number of projects to raise awareness about the danger of carrying knives.
What others say: Mariam Anthony, of the Sheffield Somali Community and Cultural Association, says: 'The team recognises the value in understanding our needs. Our gratitude for this support continues to grow in strength.'
Name: Forced marriage / honour-based violence awareness and protection programme: PC Claudia Kinrade and Sgt Gail Cope
Force: South Wales Police
Team Highlights: When PC Kinrade found there was little structure in the force to deal with forced marriages, she joined the ACPO forced marriage working group and teamed up with Sgt Cope.
Together they focused on the risk assessment and protection of victims and, in the past six months, they received more reports of forced marriage than South Wales received in the previous decade, potentially saving the lives of four women.
What others say: Supt Martin Jones says: 'At a time when the issue of forced marriage is again before Parliament and another tragic "honour killing" raises the issue of victim protection, I am delighted with the progress South Wales Police has made in this area thanks to the knowledge, commitment and vision of Claudia and Gail.'
Name: South Leamington safer neighbourhood team: Ch Insp (Acting) Robert Musgrove (left), Sgt Andrew Scruton (middle), Sgt Manjith Johal, PC Andrew WHiston (right), PC Rosie Vincent, PC Pervinder Mann, community support officer Joanne Graham.
Force: Warwickshire Police
Team Highlights: Shockwaves were felt throughout Royal Leamington Spa when a group of Sikhs assaulted elderly Sikh people. Officers from the South Leamington safer neighbourhood team set up Temple Watch, gathered intelligence and introduced a police surgery. The work was well received and a number of Sikhs even filled out application 
forms to become police officers and community support officers. The team also set up a dispersal zone.
What others say: Bill Holland, assistant chief constable of the force, says: 'The diversity of this team has translated into good, innovative operational practice, which has assisted in gaining the confidence of the elder members of the community in a way that would not have otherwise been possible.'
Name: Diversity and community cohesion unit: Ch Insp Mick Gillick, Sgt Mustafa Mohammed, Insp Shindo Barquer, Aisha Hussain
Force: West Midlands Police
Team Highlights: Whether providing reassurance to young Asians in the aftermath of the London bomb attacks in July 2005 or developing the 'cultural calendar' to ensure the force stays in touch with communities, the unit has worked tirelessly to engage with black and ethic minority populations. The team has set up a 150-strong 'critical friends' network, that provides support for women. It has arranged workshops for female officers and staff to discuss issues such as hijabs for officers and forced marriages.
What others say: Gareth Cann, assistant chief constable of the force, says: 'The dedication of the team has been unswerving and the recognition that this award would bring to them will reflect not only their success, but the success of the links forged in our community.