Janet Ranger-Dennis has received three awards for her voluntary work with Dorset Police, namely- a member of Volunteer Team of the Year for Dorset, Individual Volunteer of the Year for Dorset, and Individual Volunteer of the Year for the South West Region.
She has been volunteering with Dorset Police for more than ten years, joining the ‘police family’ in 2013 to become part of a new department – the Victims Bureau (VB); not to be confused with Victim Support. On 19th November it will be the 10th Anniversary of VB; in 2013 Dorset was only the second county in the country to have a VB, which keeps victims of crime updated about investigations. Previously, it was found that victims were often overlooked and did not know about the progress or the outcome of an investigation. Her roles now extend to ‘role play’ which helps to train new officers, and offering hospitality at police events.
Interestingly, it was at the Imjin Barracks in Gloucester that Janet represented Dorset Police for the Volunteer Team Award and the Individual Award, the event being the South West Regional Police Awards hosted this year by Gloucestershire Police Force on 15th October. The Imjin Barracks are a NATO Base and home to the Gurkhas and the First Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment, so there were armed soldiers and mounted police on duty. Her award as Volunteer of the Year for the SW Region was presented by the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire and the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. (On this occasion the Team Award went to Gloucestershire Constabulary). The South West Region consists of Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, Dorset,Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire; the efforts made by the five Regional Police Forces taking part shows the importance they place on volunteering by the public.
