Special honour for Sunderland police officer for work responding to incidents

A dedicated police constable with service spanning more than two decades has been honoured for his work responding to members of the public who are in need.

PC Joe Furniss from Northumbria Police has been named National Response Officer of the Year.

He was hand-selected by a judging panel made up of senior officers and representatives as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) award.

Police forces from across the country had been nominating officers ahead of the NPCC’s third annual Response Policing Week of Action, taking place from June 26 to July 2.

Hard-working PC Furniss has more than 22 years’ of service with the Force – and has dedicated his entire career to working in response policing.

Day to day, this sees him deployed to a range of challenging incidents, which are often as a result of an emergency 999 call, across South Tyneside and Sunderland.

Thanks to his hard work and extensive knowledge of the area, PC Furniss takes a proactive approach to tackling criminality and has made 100 arrests in the past year alone.

PC Furniss was put forward for the prestigious title by his peers for being “an exemplary officer” who is “always keen to help and support his colleagues”.

His colleagues also praised his “calm, professional manner”, and said his eagerness to attend incidents is “astounding”.

On Thursday, June 29, PC Furniss was formally presented with his national accolade at Southwick Police Station by Deputy Chief Constable Rob Carden, of Cumbria Police, who leads on response policing nationally.

He was joined by Assistant Chief Constable Brad Howe, who leads on response and neighbourhood policing for Northumbria Police.

Speaking after the presentation, ACC Howe said: “First and foremost, I would like to congratulate our very own PC Joe Furniss for winning this prestigious award.

“Joe is a true credit to policing and is the embodiment of what a response police officer should be. Not only is he an exceptional team player who goes above and beyond to protect the public, he also leads from the front and is always there to support his colleagues through challenging times.

“Joe proudly pulls on his uniform each and every day to fight crime and help keep our communities safe, and is an inspiration to his peers both locally and further afield.

“He is extremely worthy of this national accolade for his continued commitment and I am delighted that his efforts have been formally recognised in this way.

ACC Howe added: “Over the last few days, police forces across the UK have been shining a light on the great work of response officers as part of National Response Policing Week.

“We are incredibly proud of Joe, and all his dedicated response policing colleagues, and would like to thank them for their outstanding dedication and contribution.”

NPCC lead for Response Policing, Deputy Chief Constable Rob Carden, said: “Congratulations to Joe, the nomination we received highlighted what an asset he is to Northumbria Police.

“His hard work and determination is admired by his colleagues and he is an exceptional tutor.

“Response Policing is a challenging role; daily response officers are faced with a range of different incidents and are usually the first on scene to assist our communities.

“As we recognise the role nationally through the week of action, we also wanted to recognise the individual contribution of officers.

“We have had some great nominations across the country of officers who have gone above and beyond in their role.”

Following his win, PC Joe Furniss said: “I am very happy and proud to win this award, especially as it’s a national award – so to come out top is really unbelievable to me.

“I have been a response officer for 22 years and I still find my role so varied and exciting.

“The most rewarding part of being an officer is being able to help victims and support my colleagues.

“It has also been brilliant for me to see students that I have tutored gain confidence and advance through the ranks during my service.

“It’s great to feel like I can make a difference and I am able to help victims when they need my support the most.”

Also recognised for their contribution to response policing are runners up PC Thomas Cutts from South Yorkshire Police and PC Victoria Hallett from West Mercia.