Award win for officer who nominated others!

16 May 2024

A Hertfordshire Police Federation member who recommended colleagues for a prestigious award was stunned to win it herself.

PC Natasha Webbe suggested the names of a number of officers to her sergeant to win the Frank Mason Memorial Award.

But Natasha was stunned when she was called into her chief inspector’s office with her sergeant and inspector and told she was this year’s recipient.

Natasha, who is based in Hemel Hempstead, said: “I was completely shocked.

“I’d recommended other people for the award too, so I definitely wasn’t expecting it myself.

“I was 100 per cent thinking there were officers more deserving of it than me.”

PC Natasha Webbe (centre) wins the Frank Mason Memorial Award.

The Frank Mason Memorial Award is presented each year in honour of an off-duty police officer who was fatally wounded in Hemel Hempstead more than three decades ago.

PC Francis Mason, known as Frank, was walking his dog on 14 April 1988 when he witnessed a security van being held up by armed robbers.

He displayed enormous courage and tackled the gunmen, but was shot and, despite efforts to save him, he sadly died aged just 27 years old. As a result of his intervention the security guard was able to get to safety.

Each year, the award is presented to a Dacorum-based officer who has displayed his qualities of dedication, professionalism and selflessness in protecting the community. The recipients are nominated and voted for by their supervisors and selected by senior officers in the borough.

Natasha was recognised for her work on a range of projects and initiatives since joining the Force as a Police Now student officer in July 2018.

They included reducing aggressive begging; working with Trading Standards to target rogue traders and protect vulnerable people; introducing an initiative into a local school to build confidence with the police, which has been rolled out to other schools; and targeting the cross-border thefts of catalytic converters.

While working in the local crime unit, Natasha has worked in fraud and robbery cases. She was first on the scene and provided invaluable support to victims of rape and domestic abuse, and gave potentially life-saving first aid to a man attacked with a machete.

Natasha is a Wellbeing Champion, and has started initiatives to increase officer morale, including a breakfast morning.

Now she’s looking to start a pilot project with partnership agencies and charities to improve responses to domestic abuse victims.

Natasha was joined at the ceremony by her partner, her one-year-old daughter and her parents.

“It was really nice to share it with them,” she said. “I am very grateful to my supervisors and colleagues who have supported and encouraged me throughout my career so far.

“I joined this job to make a difference, like many of my colleagues. Being a police officer is a privileged role, as you see people at their most vulnerable and have the opportunity to help them.”

Dacorum Chief Inspector Dave Skarratts said: “The Frank Mason Award is the highest honour that the Dacorum Community Safety Partnership can bestow upon its police officers.

“PC Webbe’s commitment, dedication and professionalism makes her a highly deserving recipient of this prestigious accolade.”