Praise for inspirational women in policing

7 June 2022

Welsh affairs lead Nicky Ryan has congratulated the Police Federation Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award nominees from Wales’ four forces.

Nicky said all the officers shortlisted should be proud of their achievements.

She said: “The Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award is obviously a very prestigious honour but it is also an extremely important acknowledgement of the vital role women have in today’s police service.

“I was humbled when I heard I had been nominated this year for my work as a rep for colleagues and I know that the other Welsh nominees would all say the same because, at the end of the day, we all became police officers for the same reason: to help people and protect them from harm.

“The nominees will tell you they were only doing their jobs but the fact is by doing their jobs they are actually changing people’s lives for the better and that deserves special recognition.”

The Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award.

The other nominees from the Welsh forces were:

Detective Inspector Donna Clutterbuck from South Wales Police who is currently operating in counter-terrorism but was put forward for her instrumental role in developing Force policy on preventing and dealing with sexual harassment within the workplace.

Inspector Sharn Harrison from North Wales Police was nominated for her voluntary role as a negotiator in which she often engages directly with some of the most vulnerable people in  society at their moments of greatest danger and quite literally talks them down from the edge. She has been called out around 120 times and often puts herself at risk to help others.

Gwent Police Inspector Wendy Keepin who has been chair and co-chair of what was Gwent LGBT+ Police Network and is now the Wales LGBT+ Network, specifically her involvement in the creation of LGBT liaison officers who went on to become Hate Crime Support Officers.

Gwent Chief Inspector Michelle Booth, a very passionate mentor who has made a huge contribution to women in policing through both her mentoring and her inspirational achievements. She was praised for leading from the front, showing other women officers what can be achieved with a  focus on getting on with the job and delivering results for the Force, officers and communities.

Mum-of-four Esther McLaughlin is a powerful driving force behind the Special Constabulary both within Gwent Police and nationally and was nominated for inspiring other women to become Specials and to consider rising through the ranks. Esther has recently moved into a chief inspector role where she has shown true leadership and, as the national Special Constabulary sustainability and uplift coordinator, has helped attract, recruit and retain Special Constables.  

The winner of the 2022 Outstanding Contribution to Women in Policing Award was another mum-of-four. Jennifer Sharpling, a sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, who clinched the title after devoting much of her time to maternity-related issues in the workplace, using her own experiences to become a pioneer in perinatal mental health.

Jennifer was presented with her award at the Police Federation annual conference in Manchester last month.