Awards given to proud police volunteer duo

Multi-lingual volunteer Hana Rafajova was given the Pride Award, while Laura Greenley received the Above and Beyond Award at the Lincolnshire Annual Recognition awards last Monday.

They were among 11 people singled out for ‘enriching the service that Lincolnshire Police provides to the county’.

Hana, who also works for Boston College, is a multi-lingual police volunteer whose ‘absolute willingness to help’ was said to have been ‘invaluable for various departments’.

Organisers said she had ‘forged links and built bridges between the police and the communities of Boston’.

She has been known to take her young son to the station when called upon to help in an urgent situation.

Hana later told The Standard the award was ‘a great honour’.

She said: “I originally joined the police as a multilingual volunteer three years ago to gain more experience for becoming a certified interpreter.

“Thanks to this opportunity, I have realized that I don’t want to be a certified interpreter anymore, because it is a very challenging and responsible job, but I still enjoy helping the police in my free time.

“I have enhanced my lexis, gained more communication skills and confidence and created contacts which link nicely to my other engagements and to my main job in Boston College.”

Hana said she would recommend volunteering for Lincolnshire Police to anyone who is considering a career in public services or who wants to bring their communities together

She said the force was constantly looking for bilingual amd multilingual volunteers, who ‘could help us break down language barriers and promote cross communication between nationalities which encourages integration’.

Laura, who is a custody sergeant, has also been volunteering for more than two years with the Boston cadets, where she was said to have ‘earned the utmost respect’. Her enthusiasm for the role was described as ‘infectious’.

Chief Supt Shaun West said at the ceremony: “Laura is an ambassador for Lincolnshire Police.

“She embodies the behaviour values of PRIDE, Leadership Charter and Code of Ethics and fully deserves this award.”