Witham: Special recognised for his ‘valuable services’ to the community

Witham Special Sergeant Simon Jesse has been recognised by the Essex High Sheriff for his outstanding community work.

Simon’s put in an incredible 1,023 hours of duties as a Special in the past 12 months – that’s almost 20 hours a week.

Of those, 849 hours – or just over 16 hours a week – were devoted to policing Witham. Since starting his role as a Community Special Constable in June 2018, Simon has volunteered a total of 6,658 hours of his spare time to policing.

As well as being a highly visible face around the town, Simon also publicises the work he and his fellow CSCs do in Witham on the @EPWitham account on X, formerly Twitter.

Essex High Sheriff Charles Bishop surprised Simon at one of the regular community beat surgeries he holds at Witham Community Hub in The Grove shopping centre and presented him with a certificate to recognise his ‘great and valuable services to the community’.

Mr Bishop says:

“Special Sergeant Simon Jesse has dedicated most of his spare time to policing in Witham and was one of the first Specials signed up on the Community Specials scheme set up by Essex Police and Witham Town Council.
“Simon is always on hand to talk to local residents and is great with the local children. He really cares for what he does and is a credit to the community.”

Simon was nominated for a High Sheriff’s Award by the Community Hub’s trustees and founder Tina Townsend was there to see him receive it last month.

He says:

“Receiving this award was a wonderful surprise and I am very honoured to be recognised for carrying out a role in the town of Witham that I really enjoy.
“I have attended many incidents to support victims and been directly involved in bringing suspects to justice but at the core of all my volunteering is a desire to become the familiar face of policing in the town and provide reassurance and a visible presence.
“This award directly recognises the contribution I hoped to make for the residents of Witham.
“I believe the expression on my face was priceless because I was totally unaware of what had been organised.”

Essex Police’s head of Citizens in Policing, Superintendent Naomi Edwards, says:

“This is incredible recognition and testament to Simon’s ongoing commitment and enthusiasm for the role.
“Our Special Constabulary is made up of officers who come to Essex Police and volunteer with us, in addition to their day jobs.
“We are exceedingly grateful and proud for Simon’s commitment and dedication to the Witham community and to helping to make it a safer place for all.”

Simon was one of the first Specials to join our Community Special Constable Scheme, which was launched in Witham in June 2018.

And he was interviewed by Steve Scruton at Witham Town Council’s Coronation Music Festival in May this year about why he volunteers his spare time to help keep people safe and catch criminals in his town.

Simon was also shortlisted for Special of the Year at last month’s Essex Police Awards. His citation reads:

“Special Sergeant Simon Jesse dedicates a huge amount of his time to community policing. He has spent time building relationships in the local Witham community and regularly attends town council, Community Hub and business events.
“He has built on his experiences and assisted the Special Constabulary with recruitment events and now has a number of officers who owe their careers to him.
“Simon is well known and respected in the community and has a huge following. He mastered the use of social media to engage in the community he serves.
“His skills, knowledge and ability make him a great addition to the Braintree District Community Policing Team.”

Mr Bishop is the first High Sheriff of Essex to serve under King Charles III. He is supported by his wife Nellie. One of the High Sheriff’s responsibilities is law and order and to give recognition and support to people and groups whose work helps to make our county a safer place to live and work.

Could you?

Could you serve your community like Special Sergeant Simon Jesse?

We are always looking for more volunteers to join our Special Constabulary, whether you want to become a Community Special Constable dedicated to your local town or parish or to police a little further afield.

Find out all about how to become a special constable and more about the Community Special Constable scheme.