Officers, staff and volunteers recognised at Chief Constable's Annual Awards

A police officer who has made an incredible 173 arrests in 12 months has been named as Police Officer of the Year in the Chief Constable’s Annual Awards.

PC Josh Funnell based on West Sussex division has puts in hundreds of hours of additional work a year into Sussex police, volunteering his own time on operations and deployments which show his commitment to the organisation and his drive to help victims of crime and catch criminals.

He was among 16 officers, staff and volunteers awarded for their exceptional work over the past year at a ceremony at the East Sussex National on Thursday 21 November.

The awards, which were fully sponsored, were presented in front of family, friends, distinguished guests. Award category sponsors included Peter James, The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, The Sussex Police Federation, AP Security and Blast! Films.

Nominating Josh for the award, Police Sergeant George Powell said: “He is a high achieving and highly respected police officer across West Sussex.

“PC Funnell balances pro-active and reactive policing giving him the capability to deliver outstanding victim service promptly and target offenders. He is an example of an exceptional constable who is a role model to his colleagues and regularly helps with their development. He takes officers under his wing, which allows his approach to policing to be absorbed by others.”

Just some of Josh’s outstanding work has included negotiating for hours with a man in mental health crisis who had threatened to harm police officers and others with a knife. He was able to calm the man down and defuse the situation bringing it to a safe conclusion. He also arrested two people for the theft of a motorbike and drug dealing single handed and it emerged the suspects were involved in a series of motorbike thefts across the county and while investing a report of rape, he managed to locate the suspect and detect that he was also responsible for three reported spikings.

Receiving the award, Josh said: ”It means a lot to win this award. I genuinely didn't expect it and it's just a real honour.

"There are a lot of great people in that room today. To be told that I am police officer of the year was a real shock.

"I had absolutely no idea it would happen at all, but I am really pleased."

Chair of Sussex Police Federation Raff Cioffi, PC Josh Funnell, CC Jo Shiner

Worthy winners of the Police Dog of the Year are six-year-old Labrador PD Murphy and three-year-old German Shepherd Dog PD Nessa with their handler PC Suzanne West.

PD Murphy is a waterbourne victim recovery dog and finds bodies that are trapped underwater. He works from the front of a boat with PC West and has had great success this year which gives families closure in difficult circumstances. PD Nessa a general-purpose patrol dog qualified and finished third in the National Police Dogs Trial’s in 2023/24, her first full year of operation police service and in those 12 months she contributed to 12 arrests.

Nominated by the Dog Unit and represented by Chief Inspector Chris Veale who said “PC West had been an asset to the Dog Section for many years. It was her hard work and dedication that has made her perform so well this year with not only her German Shepherd Nessa but also to have some marvellous results with her specialist search dog Murphy. Her operational results speak for themselves.”

Picking up the award, Suzanne said: “It is fantastic to be able to showcase the ability of what these dogs could do is just incredible. The dogs were very excited, probably more excited than I was."

PC Suzanne West, PD Nessa, PD Murphy and CC Jo Shiner

Working diligently to keep the local community safe has earned Bonnie Scovell, the Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) of the Year award. Based on Brighton and Hove division, Bonnie is said to be a true example of what a PCSO should be. Nominating her for the award, Chief Inspector Karen Osborn said: “Bonnie dedicates her time to the community that she patrols and has an extensive knowledge of the area and its demographics. Bonnie picks up incidents before the rest of the team even know that there is a problem and due to her hard work, she is already on top of the matter and working with partners. In fact, one of her sergeants said Bonnie is amongst the best, if not the best PCSO on division.”

Collecting her award, Bonnie said: “I still can't believe it. I'm flattered. I'm so honored to win this award. I'm a team player. I don't think it's really about individuals. It's for my team.

"The whole team of B section neighborhood policing team, Brighton and Hove, we all work together. I'm just deeply honored and, I'd like to dedicate this award to a member of my team who unfortunately passed away just under a year ago. So I dedicate this to them."

Detective Constable Victoria Ashworth-Kirkby scooped the Student Officer of the Year award. She joined the Complex Abuse Unit on secondment as part of her university degree, which was running a major complex investigation into a predatory sex offender. Her diligence and hard work on the case helped secure a lengthy custodial sentence for the offender who is now likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Nominating Victoria, Detective Sergeant Kerri Bartup said: “There are so many things that Victoria did that would be considered above and beyond. All of her actions were done with the victims in mind, who she would advocate for at all times. She completed work and enquiries that I would expect from a detective with 10 years plus service.”

Victoria said: “I'm incredibly humbled and overwhelmed. I've put a lot of work in but I've been heavily supported by colleagues, and I'm very grateful for that. Just to be here and nominated by somebody is fantastic. 

"I became a detective to help people, to help the most vulnerable in society and to bring to account those that prey on those vulnerable people. I feel like I'm achieving that so far."

Sergeant Amy McAlees won the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Award for her passion for diverting children and young people away from the criminal justice system. Based in the Adur, Worthing and Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team, Amy works tirelessly with schools, partners and communities to tackle the issue of young offenders including successfully reducing the offending of one teenage shoplifter from 50 reports of theft in three months to zero.

Nominating Amy, Inspector Sharon Sawyer said: “Amy encapsulates the force priorities in everything she does.  She is unsung as she goes about this quietly, never wanting to blow her own trumpet and rearranges her work shifts to support the organisation and community.”

Picking up the award, Amy said: “To win this award, it's amazing. It's shocking. I didn't expect my name to be up there at all. I like to just come in, do my job and do it to the best of my abilities. So to be nominated was amazing.

"I really enjoy working with the community and making the area a bit safer. So my work for children and  reducing shoplifting was a huge success for me." 

Other award winners were:

Police Staff of the Year – Emily Denyer, Economic Crime Unit
Lifetime Achievement Award – Detective Chief Superintendent Jo Banks (retired)
Team of the Year - East Sussex Integrated Offender Management Team
Special Constable of the Year – SC Carl Evans
Investigator of the Year, sponsored by Peter James – Detective Constable Dione Powell
Michael Simmonds RPU Officer of the Year – PC Barry Freeman
Hidden Unsung Hero – Marianne Hovenden Citizens in Policing Coordinator
Innovation Award – Trauma Tracker Team
Inspirational Leader of the Year - Sergeant Peter Swash
Volunteer of the Year - David Scott, Southwater Hub
Diversity and Inclusion Award – Chief Inspector Chris May

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: "Each year these awards mean I am able to say a huge thank you to those people who are out there each day protecting our communities and often putting their lives on the line, while also paying tribute to those who work diligently and quietly behind the scenes in policing to also keep our communities safe.

"I am in awe of the level and quality of the nominations we have received, many of whom had gone the extra mile to provide an outstanding service to victims, witnesses and members of the public. As Chief Constable, I feel incredibly privileged and proud to lead people who deliver so much each day.”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: "It is always an honour to attend and sponsor the Chief Constable’s Annual Awards. The evening presents us with a chance to shine a light on officers, staff and volunteers who display extraordinary levels of courage, determination and great leadership.

“I know that those who are recognised at the awards often regard what they deliver as simply doing their jobs but it is important we recognise their achievements as they protect the public and successfully bring criminals to justice.

“My congratulations and thanks also extend to all our officers, staff and volunteers, who go above and beyond every day to help keep our beautiful county safe.”