Top Louth cops receive awards for determination for justice

The event, which was held at Boston United FC on Thursday, 9 June, saw colleagues gather to pay tribute to those who have gone above and beyond in recent years, attended by Sir Jonathan Van-Tam.

One award winner was PCSO Joanna Drake, who received the Area Commander's Commendation after working tirelessly to resolve the aggressive nature of a dog which was escaping frequently in Louth.

Acting on her own initiative, PCSO Drake liaised with the Wildlife Crime Officer and worked with him to secure a Voluntary Dog Control Order, and arranged and provided the owner of the dog with a suitable dog lead and harness.

Through this work, PCSO Drake was able to establish that the dog was not microchipped and booked an appointment with the local vets, and contacted the Trinity Church in Louth to help make a donation to get the dog chipped.

Then there’s Constable Keri Wales, who was responsible for solving a hit-and-run.

In January 2020 a 12-year-old girl was knocked down by a car while she crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing on Newmarket in Louth, leaving her in the road with significant injuries. The driver of the car failed to stop at the scene.

Despite appeals for information in the media, there was a distinct lack of information forthcoming and very little readily available evidence.

Constable Wales took on the enquiry and interrogated CCTV from multiple sources, and eventually managed to tie the CCTV to various pieces of information that had been provided, which led to a specific vehicle and suspect being identified.

The suspect was arrested and denied the offence repeatedly in his first interview, but eventually buckled, and admitted that he had been the driver of the vehicle that had hit the girl.

He was subsequently convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was given 12 months’ imprisonment and a three and a half year driving ban.

This was a painstaking enquiry, but Constable Wales displayed dogged determination and an incredible eye for fine detail which led to the suspect ultimately having no choice but to admit his wrongdoing which led to his imprisonment.