Award for officer who showed compassion to family living in poverty

In February this year, PC Billy Jewell was part of a team that arrested a man who was living in a caravan park. When they arrived at the caravan, they found it was very rundown and in a poor state.

PC Jewell recalled: “It was awful. We arrested the man, and then a little boy who was around four years old came home from school. He couldn’t speak English very well and he just looked at me and flicked the light switch on and off.

“There was no electricity, and I wasn’t having that. It’s just wrong that kids are growing up like that. I thought I’d go buy some electricity, at least give them something.”

So PC Jewell spoke to the caravan park manager, bought some electricity for the family out of his own pocket and refused to claim it back through expenses.

He added: “Then I phoned up social services and they told me the family were getting limited support, including food vouchers, so I was happy they were getting some help from somewhere. But you can’t have a little boy in the dark, in the cold. It just isn’t right.”

When he heard he had won the Compassionate Officer of the Year, PC Jewell said “I was surprised, it wasn’t the biggest thing in the world to do, but I’m quite proud.”

Avon and Somerset Police Federation chair Tom Gent said: “Billy is known on his team and in the wider department for always going further and striving to be the best officer he can be. He just said this was the right thing to do.

“He’s a great role model in policing and a worthy winner of this award.”

PC Jewell will attend the Avon and Somerset Police Federation Recognition Awards ceremony on October 9.