Police officers awarded for their work

Cheshire police officers and staff involved in the crackdown on the sale of Class A drugs in the town have been awarded for their work.

Operation Dizi was launched in the summer of 2013 to tackle the supply of cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

The operation, which was led by Sgt Andrew Burden (since retired), resulted in 70 arrests and 28 convictions totalling 33 years in prison.

The five month operation removed drugs worth £22,000 from the streets, as well as weapons including a stun gun and meat cleaver.

Officers and staff were commended for this work at the recent Chief Constable’s Awards ceremony.

An award for Individual Contribution to Policing was made to Special Inspector Peter Luscombe who joined the Special Constabulary in 2005 and was promoted to Special inspector for Macclesfield in 2010.

Inspector Steve Griffiths, who nominated S.I. Luscombe, said: “The commitment and enthusiasm shown by S.I. Luscombe is exemplary as he managed up to 30 volunteers to a high standard. His enthusiastic work ethic visibly motivates his staff.”

Receiving the same award was media officer Shelley Smith, who was commended for excellence in communications, in particular for the murder trial of Zain Sailsman.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said: “These awards evenings provide a great opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication of our officers and staff, and this one was no exception.

“So often their work, often in extremely testing circumstances, is taken as part of the job for an officer or staff member, but they deserve to be celebrated.

“It always gives me great pleasure to hear of the often remarkable endeavours of Cheshire Constabulary’s officers and staff, and it is right that we applaud and thank them for their efforts.”