GMP officers and staff recognised at Chief’s Annual Awards

A number of police officers and staff have been recognised for their contributions to Greater Manchester Police and the communities they serve, both on the front line and behind the scenes.

On Friday 14 November 2025 colleagues from across the force came together at Gorton Monastery to celebrate their achievements, with individuals and teams receiving the Chief Constable Award, which highlighted their efforts over the last 12 months.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson personally decided the winners of the 16 individual categories and presented them with the awards on the night.

The full list of winners are:

Police officer of the year – PC Tom Smith

Tom is a police constable based in the Salford district. In his role he has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to response policing, crime prevention and enforcement.

In 2024, Tom conducted more stop and searches than any other officer in the force. He also attended almost 900 incidents and effected 157 arrests, enforcing his commitment to taking criminals off the streets.

Staff member of the year – Samantha Williams

Samantha works as a technical officer in the creative imaging team in corporate communications.

Starting her role in 2023, she made an impact since day one and her talent for creating videos became obvious after completing her first solo project, making a short documentary piece on Operation Vestige.

She has been involved in making numerous videos to an extremely high standard since and they have always been met with widespread acclaim.

Police Community Support Officer of the year – Patricia Richardson

Patricia is based in West Horwich, Bolton and in the past year has referred over 26 young people onto the ASB pathway process, more than any other PCSO in Bolton.

This work has contributed to a reduction in ASB offending and prevented some young people falling into criminal behaviour.

She has over 40 years’ service in the force having started as a traffic warden and is committed to neighbourhood policing.

Special constable of the year – Gemma Heathcote

Gemma volunteers as a special constable in Rochdale. This year she has volunteered over 320 hours which is well over the required minimum hours expected.

She always puts herself forward to assist with any operations, duties and events and goes above and beyond to assist her colleagues.

She invests a lot of time in self-development and training, and this is clearly demonstrated in the work she does.

Volunteer of the year – Terry Hughes

Terry volunteers as a police support volunteer and is committed to making a difference in Greater Manchester by educating the public on fraud and cyber crime.

He’s been giving up his time by recently going door to door to protect people from online shopping and investment fraud.

This has had a real impact on victim and fraud in targeted areas has reduced by 50 per cent.

Student officer of the year – Katie Struttman

Katie is currently based with the Domestic Abuse Team in Stockport. During her time with this team, she has been the officer in charge of some significant investigations, all of which she provided a first-class service to the victims.

She has displayed remarkable results for a student officer and possesses a wide range of skills from her previous roles as police staff before joining as a police officer.

Team of the year – Force Critical Wanted Unit

The Force Critical Wanted Unit (FCWU) has gone from strength to strength each year working tirelessly within the Serious and Organised Crime Group.

They are a small team of eight staff and manage multiple high profile proactive operations or manhunts for the most serious and violent offenders.

Problem solving – RCRP

The Right Care Right Person (RCRP) team respond to incidents involving welfare, mental health crises and missing persons.

By connecting the right public service to the right individual, RCRP has not only improved outcomes for vulnerable people but also enhanced police efficiency and public confidence.

Innovation – Dave Baxter

Dave works as a digital developer in the internal communications department. He’s transformed GMPs internal communications and operational efficiency through a number of innovative intranet features.

He has developed automatic reports for the senior leadership team, saving hours of manual data compilation, he’s also developed a full analytics suite for the intranet which provides insight to intranet usage.

He is a great example of innovation that addresses operational challenges and significantly improves the employee experience.

Reactive investigation of the year – Operation Capri

Operation Capri was a complex and sensitive investigation that exemplified the highest standards of victim-centred policing, resulting in a dangerous predator being taken off Greater Manchester's streets.

It was triggered when in January 2024, there were reports of four sex workers being raped and assaulted in the city centre by a stranger armed with a knife.

After extensive work on the case, it resulted in Stuart Thomson being identified and convicted of a total of 10 offences, and he received life imprisonment.

Proactive investigation of the year – Operation Kilowatt

Operation Kilowatt commenced in May 2024 in response to intelligence about an organised crime group previously run in 2022.

Intelligence showed that some members were continuing large scale drug operations, and the investigative focus shifted to principal member Lee Campbell.

After extensive surveillance and investigation, Lee Campbell was sentenced to nine years in prison with five other suspects also receiving prison sentences.

Bravery – PS Carl Beck

Carl who is based in Wigan has been commended for his bravery for his pursuit of a dangerous offender who had stabbed his victim just moments earlier and was thought to be responsible for multiple stabbings in the town centre.

He caught up to the defendant and challenged him whilst he was still in possession of the knife. After he refused to engage, Carl managed to deploy his taser to neutralise the threat the defendant posed to the community.

Carl the showed fantastic aftercare to the defendant and scene management and his bravery and courage should be recognised after he put himself at serious risk of harm.

Unsung hero of the year – Wendy Docker

Wendy works in the Awards team, as part of the Corporate Comms department.

She has been a massive part in planning and executing this awards evening working tirelessly to make sure it ran smoothly and effectively.

Keeping this news a secret from her for a number of weeks proved difficult but was worth it in the end.

Cadet of the year – Harry Riley

Harry is currently a police cadet based in Rochdale and has shown exceptional dedication, leadership and commitment to the role.

He is always eager to participate in cadet activities and attends training sessions with enthusiasm. He actively supports and mentors’ younger cadets, ensuring they welcomed and encouraged within the group.

Harry has made an impact on the people around him from peers to those involved in leadership roles and embodies what an exceptional cadet should do.

Cadet unit of the year – Blackley unit

The unit in Blackley and gone from strength to strength and since late 2023 to now, it has grown from 12 cadets to 23.

Out of all the units across the force, Blackley cadets attend the most events we provide in the scheme, assisting with Op Venture test purchasing, 999 events, Remembrance Sunday and many more.

Their uniforms are to the highest standard each week and they have shown commitment and dedication that goes above and beyond what is normally expected of them.