Exceptional officers, staff and volunteers honoured at South Wales Police's annual awards ceremony including a member of the Barry team.

PC Stephen Powell, who was given the Community Shrievalty Award, for his commitment and passion as a Neighbourhood Beat Manager in Barry.

Described by his nominator as "part of the fabric of the Barry Island community", he is responsible for planning and coordinating the policing operations for some of the town's biggest events, and was also responsible for working with fairground vendors to introduce voluntary vetting forms to safeguard young visitors.

Chief Superintendent Alun Morgan, Central BCU divisional commander, said: "It was a privilege to be present to hear the stories of courage, compassion and commitment at last night's awards ceremony, and I am immensely proud that so many of those recognised were there representing Central BCU.

"The communities of Bridgend and the Vale should be assured that they are being served by some of the finest officers and staff South Wales Police has to offer; men and women who regularly go above and beyond to serve and protect their local communities.

"I'd like to echo the Chief Constable's congratulations to all the finalists and winners of this year's Team SWP Awards, all of whom should be extremely proud of their actions."

Held on Wednesday, October 23 at Cardiff's City Hall, the Team SWP Awards 2019 recognised more than 45 finalists in 15 categories, all of whom were nominated by colleagues from across the force.

The awards, which are now in their 14th year, provide the force with an opportunity to celebrate officers, members of staff and volunteers who have either individually or collectively gone above and beyond in their commitment to keeping South Wales safe.

Presented this year by ITV News' Alexandra Hartley, the awards were once again made possible thanks to a number of organisations who sponsored each award category.

Chief Constable Matt Jukes said: "The annual TeamSWP Awards are a real highlight for the force, giving us the opportunity to recognise just some of those officers, staff and volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to serving the communities of South Wales.

"As some of this year's winners have demonstrated, a police officer is never really off-duty and it is really humbling to hear about the lengths our officers will go to for others.

"Policing is recognised publically as a really tough job, however, this event also provides us with an opportunity to highlight the invaluable work that is done behind the scenes to support frontline policing.

"I'm extremely proud of all of this evening's winners and finalists, and there can be no doubt amongst any of those present that our officers and staff really are in the business of changing lives and saving lives."

Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "It is always humbling to hear the stories of extraordinary public service, which are just some examples of dedicated service by officers and staff across South Wales. This year's awards evening was no exception.

"Once again, we celebrated the actions of selfless individuals and of dedicated and innovative teams, all of whom embody the 'Positive, Proud, Professional' ethos of South Wales Police.

"As well as being superb at providing excellent responses when people face threats and crises, the winners also demonstrated three hallmarks of South Wales Police, namely empathy for vulnerable people, identifying closely with our local communities and embodying the Peel principle of preventing crime.

"The evening also gave us an opportunity to celebrate the innovative partnership work in which we are involved, work of which we are rightly proud because we know that better cooperation with other public services and voluntary organisations enables us to help more people, sooner."

The full list of winners can be found below:

• Learner of the Year Award – PC Adam Roberts

• Community Officer Shrievalty Cup – PC Stephen Powell

• Extra Mile Award for Volunteers – Madeleine Clements

• Police Youth Volunteer of the Year Award – Hope Hayes

• Exceptional Service to People Award – PC Lucy Barry

• Innovation Award – DC Allan James & Arthur Kingsbury

• Equality & Inclusion Award – Autism Champions in Custody Services

• Best Use of Social Media Award – William Simmons
• South Wales Police Teamwork Award – Western BCU Hub
• Leadership Award – Sgt Kevin Jones

• Police and Crime Commissioner Partnership Award – • Multi-agency Suicide Review and Response Group

• Exceptional Bravery Award – PC Tom Scourfield & Sgt Geraint Jenkins

• Lifetime Achievement Award for Staff – Amanda Davies

• Lifetime Achievement Award for Officers – (Joint winners) PC Kevin Garner & PC Simon Evans.