Cheshire Police celebrating Response Officers as part of national week of action

Cheshire Constabulary will be celebrating the work our Response Officers put in to keeping the county and its residents safe as part of a national week of action.

Response Policing Week will take place from Monday 24 June to Sunday 30 June and we will be coming together with fellow police forces up and down the country to celebrate the hard work, dedication and bravery of those who respond to calls from the public and confront criminals day and night.

Next week, the Constabulary has a number of activities planned as we show our appreciation to the officers who are often first on the scene to many incidents. Activities include well-being, seminar and training sessions, and members of the senior leadership team will be joining our response officers on a number of shifts.

In anticipation of the upcoming week of action, led by the National Police Chief's Council, we will be sharing the excellent work of Cheshire's Response Officers who were recently nominated for the national Response Officer of the Year award.

All the nominations have been approved by Superintendent Claire Jesson, Force Lead for the Response Officer week of action.

Today, we will be looking at Crewe's Police Constable Rod Bell, who has been a Response Officer with the Constabulary for the entirety of his 18 years of service.

Working in Crewe for nearly two decades has meant that Rod has built a rapport with many of the town's residents which, in turn, has assisted in him gaining countless amounts of valuable intelligence of the area that has been beneficial to diffusing difficult situations.

Described by colleagues as the ‘go-to’ officer for arrest attempts due to his unparalleled tenacity and skill, PC Rod Bell has made over 1,800 arrests (112 made in 2023 alone). His enthusiasm for response policing is often mirrored in his colleagues, with many believing PC Bell has inspired a generation of response officers who regularly strive to match up to his lofty reputation.

His passion for arresting drink and drug drivers in particular is evident in his proactive approach to policing; his dedication to this over the years has prevented numerous collisions with potentially tragic outcomes.

PC Bell’s upcoming retirement will likely be a huge loss to Crewe LPU and many colleagues will attest to the fact that he will be missed greatly by both them and the residents of Crewe.

Sergeant Laura Williams, who nominated Police Constable Bell, said:

"I have had the privilege of working alongside PC Bell for a number of years. He has undoubtedly influenced my policing style and I am grateful for the positive impact he has had on me.

"He is very modest about his work, but I strongly believe he needs to be recognised and commended for his commitment and dedication to his job."

As Response Officer's week launches next week, we will be profiling more of Cheshire's nominees for Response Officer of the Year.

The winner of the national award will be announced on Friday 28th June.