Police Constable Amy Hunter was recognised in Hertfordshire Police Chief Constable’s Awards 2023 for her excellent partnership and problem-solving work in Stevenage, including improving local NHS-police relationships.

Amy won the Safer Neighbourhood Team Officer of the Year award and shows relentless passion for supporting the public. She joined the force in 2020 via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme, which recruits, trains and develops talented graduates to excel as neighbourhood officers across England and Wales.

Amy successfully led a two-year partnership project with a local mental health unit, to reduce the number of hoax 999 calls from patients and better support and protect staff at the facility. The intervention and support she provided resulted in a 50% reduction in hoax calls, freeing up essential police resource and leading to a vast improvement in the local NHS-police relationship, with staff reporting feeling safer and more empowered in their roles. Amy went above and beyond to share learning and resources from the initiative, which is now being adopted across other areas of the force.  

She is also using her partnership skills to collaborate with the New York Police Department, to share learning around improving policing culture and building public trust and confidence in the police service. The project has a particular focus on better protecting women and girls during the night-time economy. Despite her significant workload, Amy is also undertaking British Sign Language training to find further ways of engaging with her local community and schools in the area.

Amy not only shows compassion towards the public she serves, but also to her frontline colleagues. She has voluntarily become a force Wellbeing Champion to support those around her and has seen great success in tutoring other student officers to reach their full potential.

Sergeant Matt McGinnigle, who nominated Amy for the award, said: “Amy is undoubtedly a brilliant officer, with the highest levels of compassion and victim focus I have ever seen. But more than being a good copper, she is an excellent teammate and role model who really cares, supports and inspires those around her. She is a pleasure to work with and without any prompting, consistently produces results that provide both defined and unquantifiable benefits to a variety of communities. If I could say one thing, it would be that I feel very proud – and fortunate – to work with her.”

Police Constable Amy Hunter said: “I am delighted to have been recognised at this year’s Chief Constable’s Awards, which is something I wasn’t expecting and a real honour. Although I previously studied Criminology, I had never really considered joining the police until I came across Police Now’s neighbourhood programme. I was working in a fish and chip shop when I received my offer to join and threw myself into the new role.

“I have loved the last two and a half years, as I’ve worked hard to embed myself within the community and get to know the public I serve. What I love about neighbourhood policing is how varied the role is and the real impact you can make, as you learn about the issues important to your community and how to tackle long-term problems. I am looking forward to the rest of my career as I continue to engage with the community and make a real difference.”

The Chief Constable’s Awards were held in November at Tewinbury Hotel in Welwyn, attended by Chief Constable Charlie Hall QPM and Hertfordshire Constabulary’s outstanding officers, staff and volunteers. They were joined by Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd, the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Liz Green, Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss, and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andy Hopcraft from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.