Special Sergeant clocking 1,000 hours wins top volunteer award in Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Special of the Year: Daniel Van-Gelder honoured
Special Sergeant Daniel Van-Gelder has been named Special of the Year after dedicating over 1,000 hours of his free time to making Hampshire and the Isle of Wight safer. At a recent ceremony recognising volunteers who support the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Daniel’s extraordinary commitment to fighting crime stood out.
True crime-buster: From emergency calls to big investigations
Daniel has been working alongside officers on emergency calls, leading hundreds of investigations, and seeing justice served—often staying late to close cases. He’s not just any Special Constable; he also plays a key role in search and rescue and is trained in public order policing.
More volunteers honoured for community service
- Police Support Volunteer of the Year 2022: Gemma Bath, for her dedication to the East Offender Management Team.
- Police Support Volunteer Team of the Year 2022: Memorial Garden Volunteer Team, for maintaining the Memorial Gardens at Netley.
- Volunteer Police Cadets Leader of the Year 2022: Deputy Unit Leader Harry Wall, for his work with the Basingstoke Cadet Unit.
- Volunteer Police Cadet of the Year 2022: Cadet Phoebe Butler, also from Basingstoke.
- Volunteer Police Cadet Team of the Year 2022: Gosport Unit, for building strong ties with local policing teams.
Additionally, 14 Special Constables and 7 Police Support Volunteers received length of service awards.
Special Constables: The backbone of local policing
Across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Special Constables volunteer at least 16 hours a month, working side-by-side with regular officers to keep communities safe. Daniel Van-Gelder’s standout dedication is a shining example of their vital role.
