Meet our Response Officer of the Year nominee

Meet PC Luke Edmonds, of Basildon Local Policing Team, who’s been an Essex Police officer for five years.

In the past year, he’s performed CPR three times, detained a man armed with a hammer and located a van full of stolen car parts destined for abroad.

Luke says:

“It’s the only policing role where you are first on scene to absolutely everything and it’s also the role everyone thinks of when they want to be a police officer – going from emergency to emergency.
“It’s a fast-paced challenging environment that pushes you to develop, which is rewarding.”

Luke’s our force’s nominee for Response Officer of the Year. It’s a national award which recognises the vital role our local policing teams (LPTs) play in keeping our communities safe - they are often the first police officers you will see at the scene of an incident.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Mariner, our force lead for Local Policing says:

“Luke is the perfect example of a response officer.
“Our local policing officers are often the first police officers the public will meet at an incident and Luke’s dedication and professionalism is exactly what they would expect from our officers.
“But although his job is primarily responding to emergency calls, Luke also makes time to be proactive and has made several arrests on the strength of his policing instinct and observational skills.
“He is an officer who cares and puts himself out to help others, showing compassion where necessary, but who is tough and resilient when required.
“Luke is definitely a role model for newer officers and he is also a tutor constable, a voluntary role which involves mentoring police officers younger in the job than he.
“I am proud that he is Essex Police’s nomination for the national Response Officer of the Year award.”

A well-respected member of Basildon LPT, Luke was nominated for his leadership, commitment and hard work.

In the past 12 months he has dealt with a number of challenging incidents.

Responding to a report of a 20-year-old man in cardiac arrest, Luke began CPR while trying to reassure the man’s distressed mother, who was at the scene, until paramedics arrived. And just weeks later, Luke was called upon to perform CPR on another man, who had fallen from a height.

He was also first on the scene of a man who had tried to harm himself and, again, he began CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.

Luke remembers:

“I administered emergency first aid and the man was stabilised. He’s since made a full recovery and it’s really nice knowing that I was able to save his life.”

On all three occasions, Luke’s CPR skills were praised by medical professionals.

He has also successfully detained a man who went to his place of work armed with a hammer and arrested three men after locating a van containing a stolen Maserati, which had been broken down, ready to be shipped abroad.

Like all local policing officers, Luke finds time to go out on proactive patrols and has made a number of stop and searches, many of which have resulted in items being seized. We use stop and search when we suspect people are carrying drugs, weapons or stolen property.

Of his nomination for Response Officer of the Year, Luke says it’s a massive honour.

“I’m very proud to be recognised for my commitment to the role and to Essex Police. However, I believe I have just done what is expected of me in order to serve the public.
“I’ve wanted to be a police officer ever since I can remember. As soon as I was eligible I applied for the role. I wanted a job where every day is different and I can make a difference and help people.
“I was born in Essex and always lived here so it made perfect sense to police my local community and join Essex Police rather than another force.”

If you need someone to talk to

If you need someone to talk to, you can ring the Samaritans free from any phone and confidentially on 116 123, email [email protected] or visit the charity’s website at www.samaritans.org

We know the idea of a stop and search can feel intimidating and inconvenient. But to keep our communities safe from serious harm, particularly crimes involving drugs and weapons, it’s important we have the power to stop and search people.

For more information about what happens when you are stopped and searched by a police officer, your rights and where you can leave feedback, please go to our we value our communities page.

At Essex Police, we value difference, and know that we’re strongest when we all work together.

If you share our values and want to protect and serve our communities, why not join us?

If you think you could protect and serve the people of Essex, either as a police officer, member of staff or volunteer, why not see if you fit the bill?

Find out more by visiting our careers page.