The Rotary Club of Benalla held its 12th annual Police Person of the Year Awards in November.
The Rotary Club of Benalla recently held its 12th annual Police Person of the Year Awards.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The evening recognises the outstanding contributions of local police members in Benalla.
Rotarian and vocational chair Brad Hearn thanked the selection panel — Alex Ross (Tomorrow Today), Charlie Sexton (Benalla CFA) and Nathan Tolliday (former Benalla Rural City councillor) for undertaking the challenging task of choosing the recipient of the award.
“Judging is based on the Victoria Police values of integrity, leadership, respect and service,” he said.
“These awards were created to highlight the individuals who go above and beyond in their duties — those who embody not only the core values of Victoria Police, but also the spirit and principles that guide Rotary.”
There were five nominations for this year’s award.
Benalla Rotary’s Police Person of the Year Awards: Runners-up Sergeant Ian Fulton and First Constable Zachary Pearson, winner Acting Sergeant Kerri Croxford and runner up Senior Constable Timothy Pelly.
Kerri has developed a road safety strategy for the Benalla PSA in line with prevention, intelligence, enforcement, reassurance and support.
This has seen a 60 per cent reduction in fatal collisions and a total 6.1 per cent reduction in all collisions in the Benalla area.
Kerri also runs information and education sessions for Year 11 and 12 students in Benalla Rural City.
Runners-up
First Constable Casey Webb
Casey has actively caught multiple offenders in the Benalla area. She is part of the Neighbourhood Policing Unit and is described as a natural leader with a terrific ability to support people afflicted by drugs and alcohol and those experiencing mental ill health.
Senior Constable Timothy Pelly
Tim is known as a quiet achiever who continues to give back to the Benalla community.
He has a focus on high-impact time and has supported many farmers in establishing tool registers, protecting their property from theft.
Tim’s work with youth offenders is outstanding as he builds relationships with families and community support workers to collectively address and reduce the recidivism rates in our community.
First Constable Zachary Pearson
Zach has participated in 10 successful search warrants in three months. He has a reputation of being firm but fair.
He builds strong relationships and ensures that the Benalla police provide a continuity of care and are not just there at the point of incident.
Zach builds relationships with local youth while on patrol, whether it be at the local skate park or on a call-out.
From family violence to mental health, Zach continues to show up for the Benalla community.
Sergeant Ian Fulton
The Benalla Neighbourhood Policing Unit has gone from 105 recorded incidents in a year to 220 due to the hard work and determination of Ian.
Ian and his team are responsible for reducing drug trafficking and other undesirable activities in our community.
He has seen the delivery of bike patrol in our community, reducing the ‘inside-time’ of his team and getting them back on the street.
13°C