PC Gemma Lee with ACC Matt Ward.

A student officer who has received a national award says she ‘felt honoured’ to be representing West Midlands Police.

 Gemma Lee, a former Police Community Support Officer (PSCO), was presented with a National PSCO Award, beating hundreds of others who were also nominated in the Partnership Working category. 

The 32-year-old, who started training to become a police officer in August, won the award for her work as a PCSO in Birmingham, which saw her lead on a project called ‘Get Connected’, a scheme designed to link together groups and organisations within the community.

“Nobody knew who had won until the winner was announced at the ceremony,” explained Gemma, who attended the prestigious awards in London last month.

“I was very shocked to hear that I had won, in fact, it took me a moment to actually take it in. I suppose when you’re doing a job, you don’t realise the impact you’re really making. 

 “It was a real honour to represent West Midlands Police, and to be recognised for my work nationally.”

By working with organisations like local councils and youth services, ‘Get Connected’ was launched to help tackle issues in certain areas, including Bordesley Green, Erdington and South Yardley, from a grassroots level. 

“People call these areas ‘hard to reach’ locations but I say they are ‘hard to hear’ communities. This project gave us an opportunity to bring together all types of organisations and groups, to help build relationships and create community engagement,” added Gemma, a former primary school teacher, who began working as a PCSO back in June 2019, having spent a number of years volunteering, supporting vulnerable people in Birmingham city centre. 

“We also wanted to break down the barriers between these areas and the police, helping to reduce the fear people have of the Force.”

Now a student officer, Gemma says she is able to draw on her experiences as a PSCO, to develop her career in policing.

“Of course, what I’m doing now is very different to being a primary school teacher - I’ve definitely been on a real journey. I’m learning something new every day and using my previous role as a PSCO and as a volunteer to shape the police officer I become,” she continued.

“The ‘Get Connected’ project gave me an opportunity to improve things for those communities and I hope I can continue to help others as I go forward. For now, though, I’m just focussing on getting through each assessment.”

Gemma said that helping communities, especially younger generations is ‘hugely important’ to her.

“It’s something I feel very passionately about,” she added.

“Ultimately, youth services are being cut, which means there’s just not enough for them to do, which will lead to them causing trouble. Look, we’ve all been a teenager at some point, it’s a hard time to navigate and they need an outlet for their energy. 

“I believe that projects like ‘Get Connected’ encourage early intervention for young people and as we all know, intervention leads to prevention, which is key.”