The awards evening recognises the outstanding work of individual police officers, support personnel and volunteers.

Primarily working in general duties, L/Snr Cst Williams is genuinely interested in making her work and her local community a better place.

One example is using her personal funds to buy lunch for an 18-year-old homeless girl who had stolen a small amount of food.

She then drove the girl to a local charity to arrange for future help.

On another occasion, L/Snr Cst Williams finished cooking a meal late at night for an elderly woman who had become distressed at not being able to cook her own dinner.

After being cleared by ambulance officers, L/Snr Cst Williams made sure the woman had some company while she finally ate.

L/Snr Cst Williams has also developed strong relationships with business owners and organisations within the Goulburn township, who regularly call her to report issues, even when she’s off duty.

Helping her colleagues is just as important and organised a police team to take part in The Bloody Long Walk for mitochondrial disease to support another officer’s special needs child.

She has also amassed more than 100 blood donations and motivates others to donate.

Deputy Commissioner, Field Operations Regional, Gary Worboys said Goulburn was fortunate to have police officers like Bianca Williams and added his personal congratulations.

“I have known and worked with Bianca over many years. Here in Goulburn Bianca is amongst our best and deserves this recognition at the highest level,” Deputy Commissioner Worboys said.

“The Rotary awards are a prestigious event and the winner is  chosen from a very competitive list of nominations across the state.

 “We are very fortunate to have police officers like Bianca and her colleagues here in Goulburn.

“The do a wonderful job and I am proud of them. Well done Bianca, a fitting winner and reward for many years of dedicated policing.”

Lisa Gardener from the NSW Police Academy  was awarded the Police Employee of the Year.

Ms Gardner has served over 20 years as the Executive Assistant to the Principal of the NSW Police Academy.

The number of people she has helped would be unequalled within the organisation.

Ms Gardner takes a lead role in organising the very complex attestation parades, and is the ultimate event manager who makes sure guests and staff are properly instructed, comfortable and feel welcome.

She ensures dignitaries are taken care of, while prioritising those guests who require special assistance.

Ms Gardner also works tirelessly in her day to day role to help staff and students, and is often seen driving the golf cart behind the regular rope runs to encourage students and pick up the fatigued.

Ms Gardner is always available to help with urgent matters and always puts the welfare of students and staff first, referring those in need to the right support services.

She is extremely humble and never seeks recognition for her constant effort. The smooth running and high profile of the NSW Police Academy is largely due to Ms Gardner’s professionalism and selfless dedication to the NSW Police Force, it’s staff, students and guests.

The pinnacle of the awards, Rotary NSW Police Officer of the Year  was presented to Senior Constable Katherine Emerson from the Traffic & Highway Patrol Command,

Judges deemed her unwavering commitment to her community and command, made her worthy of the overall award.

Senior Constable Emerson, known for her professionalism and dedication to the job, also took out the award in the “Specialist Support” category.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller APM, announced Senior Constable Emerson as the winner at an awards function tonight (Friday 16 November 2018) at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney.

Having joined the NSW Police Force in 1989, Senior Constable Emerson has 29 years’ experience as a police officer.

She spent nine years in general duties in Sydney, before moving to Newcastle, where she later joined the Traffic & Highway Patrol Command in 2009.

Senior Constable Emerson was recently commended by senior police for her competence and skill in managing a double fatal motor vehicle crash.

She was the first officer to arrive at the scene where an eight-year-old boy and his carer lost their lives after being struck by a heavy vehicle.

She also regularly acts as a mentor to junior staff and provides inspiration not only to her peers, but to her supervisors.

Commissioner Fuller congratulated Senior Constable Emerson for her devotion to her work and the wider community.

“Senior Constable Katherine Emerson has shown time and time again, she goes above and beyond her duty as a police officer,” Commissioner Fuller said.

“I am pleased to award her the title of Rotary Police Officer of the Year and also Specialist Support Officer of the Year for her service, commitment and passion to the profession.”

“To all officers nominated this year, thank you all for your dedication to the job and the community of NSW,” Commissioner Fuller said.

Senior Constable Steven Day – Blue Mountains Police Area Command – Metropolitan Field Operations Police Officer of the Year

Snr Cst Day is a 27-year veteran. He has been a member of the Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad since 1996 and has specialist skills in bomb appraisal, small boat operations, is a field driving instructor and a remote aerial vehicle pilot. While he was relieving as the Blue Mountains Rescue Coordinator in 2017, Snr Cst Day was directly involved in 123 rescue jobs. This involved the grim task of six body recoveries. One of the most challenging incidents was on 8 and 9 June 2017. Snr Cst Day was involved in the recovery of a female suicide victim at Sublime Point, Leura. This body recovery was undertaken during strong winds, sleet, light snow and rain. Snr Cst Day and the team suffered from mild hypothermia and fatigue as they faced extreme difficulty during the recovery due to the weather as well as the location of where the body had landed. Later in the year, Snr Cst Day suffered a personal health issue. He was on sick leave for several weeks but despite this, he continued to monitor what rescue jobs were being undertaken. Snr Cst Day is also the Blue Mountains Police Officer of the Year for 2018.

Inspector David Maher – Orana Mid-Western Police District – Regional Field Operations Police Officer of the Year

As the officer in charge of Coonabarabran Police Station, Insp Maher ensures an excellent response to crime and community calls for service, is heavily involved in emergency management and is the go-to person for all policing matters. He launched Project Burra Bee Dee’s girls’ rugby program in 2017, which involves 30 girls from local Coonabarabran high schools. Insp Maher identified the need for a program specifically aimed at Indigenous girls known to police for minor crime, substance and alcohol usage, or issues with behaviour and low school attendance. The results of the program saw two girls being selected for the NSW Country Rugby Union teams, opening a world of opportunity for them. The program has particularly had a major impact on one girl, who was previously known to police due to truancy. Thanks to the program, this girl regularly attends school and has become a member of the Coonabarabran High School Indigenous Leadership Team. She has also been identified as a possible candidate for the NSW Female Junior Rugby 7s development team.

Detective Sergeant John Edwards – Criminal Groups Squad – Investigations and Counter Terrorism Police Officer of the Year

The success of a history-making investigation is the direct result of the commitment, leadership and genuine hard work of Det Sgt Edwards. Strike Force Kindra began in November 2015, targeting the supply of ice in the Riverina and ACT region by members of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG). The investigation led to the arrest of the sergeant at arms, president and state vice president of the Rebels OMCG. Det Sgt Edwards initiated an investigation into the importation of 1.3 tonnes of ephedrine from China, after he identified the potential to escalate it from a regional to an international level. At the time the 1.3 tonne seizure was the largest in Australian law enforcement history. Under his leadership over 21 months, investigators worked with other agencies to identify a further 19 people involved in the importation of ephedrine, the commercial supply of ice and the organised sale of illicit tobacco. Between June and August 2017, the strike force executed more than 50 search warrants in raids that resulted in the arrest of 22 offenders. The charges included directing or participating in a criminal group, and kidnapping and extortion.

Senior Constable Sascha Benn – Education & Training Command – Corporate Services Police Officer of the Year

With no exhibit handling or educator history, Snr Cst Benn became a principal tutor and subject matter expert for drug exhibit management after joining a project team to improve training and officer safety. Cannabis plants emit harmful carcinogenic fumes as they rot, which poses serious risks to police working in the same building. Snr Cst Benn helped identify these risks and is passionate about early cannabis destruction. She helped create storage requirements and OH&S policies that support legislative change. When the process was authorised, she created an education course and recruited botanists to train police in cannabis identification. There are now 300 police across NSW who are approved cannabis plant identifiers, which has reduced the need for external identifications. This significantly reduced the time between police receiving and destroying cannabis plants and improved workplace safety. Her dedication has set a national standard and helped develop the first Australian Exhibit Conference, which was held in Sydney in March 2018 and attended by almost every Australian policing jurisdiction.

Sergeant Aaron Greenwood – Richmond Police District – Customer Service Excellence Award

A passionate detective who previously worked with the Unsolved Homicide Team, Sgt Greenwood transferred to a rural community in 2016. He is an outstanding officer who has helped reshape community relationships in a difficult policing environment. Now sector leader in remote Tabulam, between Tenterfield and Casino, Sgt Greenwood’s community includes Jubullum Village, which has an Aboriginal population of 250 people. The village has a long history of socio economic disadvantage and high rates of domestic violence. Showing outstanding leadership, Sgt Greenwood identified the importance of community engagement. He has instilled these values within his team and together, they have increased community confidence in local police to such a level that one resident described his town as having the best relationship with police in over 20 years. There has been a drastic reduction in hostility towards police during volatile incidents and a massive increase in community cooperation. At a NAIDOC event this year, praise for Sgt Greenwood and his team came from all walks of the community.

Sergeant Kelsey Priestly – North Shore Police Area Command – Irene Juergens (IJ) Fellowship Award Sworn Category

Since being appointed the domestic violence team leader in the newly combined North Shore Police Area Command, Sgt Priestly has led her team to improve the outcomes of domestic violence related incidents. Since February 2018, all domestic violence incidents are subject to a review by her entire team, resulting in greater consistency and follow-up. Her leadership regularly results in North Shore having the highest percentage of AVOs each month from all domestic violence incidents attended in the North West Metropolitan Region. Through her educative approach, the use of the domestic violence evidence in chief (DVEC) has increased from 15% in December 2017 to 66% in April 2018. Sgt Priestly achieved this by identifying a technological issue that had been discouraging officers from using DVECs on mobile police devices. The solution increased the usability of all media, not just DVECs. Sgt Priestly is genuinely committed to partnering with community stakeholders to raise awareness of elder abuse and domestic violence in cultural contexts to proactively reduce further incidents of domestic violence.

Kim Fenwick – St George Police Area Command – Irene Juergens (IJ) Fellowship Award Unsworn Category

Ms Fenwick has been the multicultural community liaison officer (MCLO) in St George for the past five years and has a quiet steadiness that has earned her the respect of her colleagues in the community. Ms Fenwick works closely with partner agencies and has built very strong relationships with community groups. She has understood her role as the architect of the relationship between community and police, and seeks out external resources to help meet the needs of her command. Ms Fenwick is very quiet but dependable and provides support where it’s needed. At the launch of the 30 years of the MCLO program at Fairfield, Ms Fenwick demonstrated her capacity in supporting the program’s success, and was completely absorbed with all the work that needed doing, from setting up and dismantling props, looking after stall, talking to clients, distributing information and answering customers’ questions. She was a great ambassador for the program and we are proud to put her up for an award that will strengthen her confidence in her role.

Glen Fanning – Riverina Police District – Volunteer of the Year Award

Mr Fanning is a true volunteer at heart. He has lived in Junee his whole life and not only volunteers at the local police station but is a non-operational support worker for Fire & Rescue NSW. Twice a week, he also volunteers at Junee Public School to help students with their reading. Mr Fanning, who has an intellectual disability, was appointed to his volunteer in policing role in April 2018. He’s particularly invested his time into creating strong links between the police and the community. He is often found completing his to do list within the first hour of his shift, seeking to complete more tasks or contribute to community engagement events like Coffee with a Cop. During his first month of duty, Mr Fanning established the Bizkeys program at Junee and Temora. He personally walked the streets delivering Bizkey forms to more than 80 businesses and collected the forms a week later. As a result, Bizkey is now running in both towns. Mr Fanning is also a familiar face around town after featuring on local television, radio and across the front page of local papers wearing his VIP uniform with pride.

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