Met officers recognised for their impact in communities across London

Brilliant community problem solving

One of the officers recognised was Police Constable (PC) Eda Demiralay, who received the Brilliant Community Problem Solving Award for her work addressing drug use, suspected drug dealing and anti-social behaviour at a supported housing complex in Tottenham.

Working closely with partners and securing additional funding, Eda carried out multiple warrants, helped seize drugs, secured an arrest, obtained a Criminal Behaviour Order for a prolific offender and achieved a closure order for a property linked to criminal activity. The work resulted in a significant reduction in crime and improved safety for local residents.

Reflecting on the award, Eda said:

“I was really surprised and humbled when I found out about the award. I did the work to make it a safer place for the community, so to get recognised for that was really special. I feel really grateful.”

Crime reduction and improving public trust

PC William Pearce was presented with the Crime Reduction and Improving Public Trust Award after leading work to tackle a series of offences that had caused around £50,000 worth of damage to vehicles in Lambeth.

William coordinated efforts to investigate dozens of incidents, gathering witness statements, reviewing CCTV and dashcam footage, changing officer shift patterns and keeping residents informed throughout the investigation. His persistence led to an arrest on multiple charges, and no further offences have been reported since.

The work also transformed relationships with the local community, with residents thanking William for his efforts and continuing to share intelligence to help police  address crime in the area.

William said:

“To have completely changed the opinion of probably 50 households who didn’t trust the police makes me feel proud. And it goes to show that even when you come across obstacles, it’s important to keep pushing because the end result is what’s important.”

“I didn’t expect to win anything for it, so finding out about the award was a big shock. I imagine everyone in my cohort does amazing work and I think a lot of the time in the police you don’t get any recognition, so it is nice to be acknowledged in this way.”

Innovation and influencing change

PC Julia Robak received the Innovation and Influencing Change Award after creating a neighbourhood activity framework that gave leaders better oversight of the work being carried out by neighbourhood teams.

Designed using existing Microsoft 365 systems at virtually no cost, the framework captured a broader picture of neighbourhood policing activity and soon became the mandatory reporting method across Wandsworth. Neighbouring boroughs are now also exploring adopting the framework.

Julia said:“I had just been focusing on the technical side of things, but when I showed it to the superintendent and saw his excited facial expression, I knew it was going to be bigger than I first thought.”

“It involved a lot of extra work that I really didn’t have to do as part of my job, so it’s nice to get recognition for it.”

Recognising outstanding contributions

The runners-up in this year’s impact awards were PC Sanober Hasan, PC Daniel Robinson and PC Amy Greener.

Commander Neervan Patel, who delivered a keynote address at the ceremony, said:

“What I think makes today particularly significant is that it marks the end of the beginning. For the last two years, you’ve balanced something quite remarkable. You’ve been learning and delivering, studying and serving, developing as leaders whilst dealing with the realities of frontline policing.”   

He added: “Tomorrow you return to your teams, not as probationers, but as substantive officers. Tomorrow you are the structure. You are the people the public rely on when things go wrong. And whilst that may feel daunting, it should also fill you with enormous pride, because you’ve earned it.”