Humberside PCSO awarded Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award

19 June 2023

A Humberside Police colleague who made a film about a young man who died in a motorcycle crash – and who now shows the film in schools and uses it for police training – has won the Our Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award at the Humberside Police and Federation Bravery Awards.

PCSO Dawn Brown, who has been in her role for over 16 years, said: “It’s how you change the way that communities think about the police. It’s how you help people, even at the most basic level. They don’t have enough food? I’ll go and get you a food parcel. You need some bedroom furniture? No problem, I know a charity that can help with that.

“One of our big roles is to problem-solve and think of innovative ways to change an area or to improve things. You just see the difference. You don’t put a plaster on and then run away and hope it’s fixed. You’re living it. You become part of that community.”

PCSOs also do intelligence-gathering, spend time in schools talking to pupils, and attend community meetings.

Dawn continued: “My role is to prevent crime and disorder. But the people who are acting in that manner will speak to me and other PCSOs more readily than they will officers, because they know us.”

It was through her work in the HU6 area that Dawn got to know a young man called Macauley. In September 2021, she was the first police worker on the scene of a motorbike crash in which Macaulay had suffered catastrophic injuries. Dawn stayed with him, holding him and reassuring him, until the ambulance arrived, then went to the hospital where she spoke to his family.

Sadly, Macauley died two weeks later.

That incident, along with a spate of other traumatic incidents, deeply affected Dawn. She was also struck by the impact it had had on Macauley’s family.

Dawn said: “I thought, how can we stop young people from making these choices and risking their own lives? You’ve got one precious life, and you are important to people. So I thought, I’ll see if I can get the money to make a documentary film. Getting the money was tough, but I managed it and I employed a film company.”

The police put on a special evening event in which the resulting film, ‘Impact: The Left Behind’ was projected onto the side of a local building and members of the community were invited along, as well as fire and rescue services, Operation Yellowfin (who tackle motorcycle crime) and Macauley’s family.

Dawn said: “There were about 350 people for that first showing, and it was deathly silent. All the target audience that I wanted, all the young people, were there watching it – it was incredible.”

Since then, Dawn has shown the film in secondary schools across Hull and has also used it in presentations to new police recruits, in order to talk about trauma and its impact on officers’ mental health.

Supt Clair Tindall, Head of Humberside Police’s Criminal Justice Unit, said: “I had the privilege of hearing Dawn present the film to my student officers.

“The film was created because of Dawn, it details both her personal experience and that of the family who have had to deal with the most traumatic of events.

“The film was more than moving, it gives a clear preventative message, but Dawn gives a really personal perspective on how this event changed her life. Dawn is an incredibly caring individual; she is clearly so very passionate about her community and doing all she can to protect them.”

Supt Tindall added: “I am very proud to see her being acknowledged for this work, this important message to our community, which will keep young people safer through awareness. Thank you Dawn, you will probably never know the difference this will make.”

Dawn attended the first Humberside Police and Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday 15 June where she was recognised.

The lead sponsor for the Awards was The Northern Police Healthcare Scheme.

Also sponsoring the Awards were Serve and Protect Credit Union, No 1 Copperpot Credit Union, Metfriendly, Taylor Law, Niche, JMW Solicitors, New Park Court and The Humberside Police Welfare & Benevolent Fund.

The hashtag for the event was #HumberBravery.