Officers who busted a drugs ring, nailed an armed robber, and nicked a serial flasher stood alongside colleagues who dealt with difficult personnel issues, or kept tabs on the town’s pub licences.

Awards were presented by Supt Jim Trotman to a packed audience, including families, at Newbury Police Station, last month.

The list of those commended is:

Insp Sandy Nicholson – for helping develop a reassurance initiative to reduce the fear of crime, and representing the force nationally.

Neil Woods – Coroner’s officer for sensitive and professional conduct in difficult circumstances.

Russell Day – Business manager for compassion and professionalism when dealing with personnel during recent merger of sector with Reading and Wokingham.

Pcs Stephen Blackburn, Graham Hadley, Gregory Hulse, Thomas French, and D Sgts Mark Heybourne and Neil Williams, with DC Jason Watkins – for helping jail Newbury’s main drug dealer, leading to 20 more arrests throughout the year.

Donna Edwards – supervisor of the Crime Incident management unit, which helped increase detection rate.

PC James Humphries – for arresting a flasher who admitted 50 similar offences.

Adrian Fisher and Tracy Cole – commitment for working on burglary investigations as Crime Enquiry Victims Officers.

Lindsay Frische – running the duty and licensing department smoothly.

PC Andrew Ainsley – spotting suspected armed robber in Newbury on a motorbike. Stop and search revealed the knife used in the raid, and he was arrested.

PC Ian Henderson – for using dispersal orders to stop gangs of yobs gathering in Tilehurst.

Sophie Kirk – Sovereign Housing worker who helped reduce fear of crime in Greenham.

Sgt Andy Buckingham and TVP lawyer Guy Lemon – for help with the Greenham reassurance programme.