Hills Rotary Police Awards: Excellence in Policing Awards

Hills police office, Acting Sergeant Alison Brown has been named The Hills Local Area Command’s Field Operations Police Offer of the Year at a special awards dinner at Castle Hill.

Other major winners on the night were: Senior Constable Ethan West, Senior Constable Michael Barnes and Constable Michael Bransfield.

The Rotary Club of Castle Hill hosted the 12th Annual Police Officer of the Year Awards in partnership with the NSW Police Force at Castle Hill RSL.

Hills Area Police Commander Supt Naomi Moore said: “This year there were 23 finalists across four categories for the Police Officer of the Year Awards at The Hills PAC Awards night … this is the greatest number of finalists seen for this command in recent years and strongly reflects not only the outstanding achievements of sworn and unsworn staff at The Hills but the importance placed on this very important event.

“As the Commander, I would like to thank Castle Hill Rotary for their support of The Hills PAC and this event and the Castle Hill RSL for providing the venue. I am incredibly proud of all 23 finalists for their consistent high levels of performance and commitment to the command and more importantly the community.”

The prestigious dinner was facilitated by Castle Hill Rotary members including Outreach Board Member Sonja Simpson and former Castle Hill Rotary President and committee member, Terry O’Mara, who initiated the award ceremony in 2012.

Sonja Simpson, Castle Hill Rotary Member and the event’s coordinator, expressed her passion for organising the award ceremony, believing it to be a motivational force for all to strive for excellence:

“I have been honoured and humbled to see the happiness and pride of recipients after receiving their award. I have also seen the heartfelt recognition and congratulations of the awardee by their colleagues, customers and community members, as well as a stated desire by their colleagues to be worthy of future awards”.

Castle Hill Rotary President Juanita Ruiz introduced the ceremony, praising the service of the officers at the event and highlighting their alignment with Rotary’s values:

“Today’s awards celebrate the remarkable dedication, bravery and service of the police officers and unsworn employees of the High Police Command who have significantly contributed to our community’s safety and wellbeing, going above and beyond the call of duty.

We share many similarities and values including service above self, and it is an honour to be with so many like minded people tonight”.

The 2024 Excellence in Policing Awards winners and finalists were:

Metropolitan NSW Field Operations Police Offer of the Year
• Acting Sergeant Alison Brown Finalists: Senior Constable Krystle Mackie, Chief Inspector Jason McSweeney, Constable Scott Newman and Sergeant Sean Owen. Rotary Community Award – Sworn/Unsworn

• Senior Constable Ethan West Finalists: Angelese Arida, Senior Constable Stephanie Brown, Probationary Constable Darcie Donaldson, Constable Chang Liu and Acting Inspector Kaylene Wade.

Customer Service Excellence Award
• Senior Constable Michael Barnes Finalists: Senior Constable Joshua Bitar, Senior Constable Shane Carne, Plain Clothes Senior Constable Joel Craig, Detective Senior Constable Andrew Klippert, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Laird.

Constable of the Year Award
• Constable Michael Bransfield Finalists: Constable Whitney Batiste, Constable Madison Ellison, Constable Harrison Hair, Constable Jacinta Pluss and Constable Darcy Waymouth. The Rotary NSW Police Officer of the Year Awards will be held in November this year.

Metropolitan NSW Field Operations Police Officer of the Year
Acting Sergeant Alison Brown commenced duties as a Probationary Constable at Redfern Police Station in January 2007.

“Her commitment and dedication to her role is obvious and her work ethic and relationships within the Command have greatly assisted in many of the investigative successes the Command has had in recent times. Despite her role within the Crime Prevention Unit she is the first officer out the door to assist with incidents at the nearby metro station or Castle Towers Shopping Centre frequently arresting offenders and providing direct support to General Duties officers. She is a role model to her peers and is very well respected within the Command.

Acting Sergeant Brown has taken over the chair of the Command Culture Action Group, she manages The Hills Relay 4 Life team and is an active supporter of all Command fundraiser initiatives.

Rotary Community Award – Sworn / Unsworn
Senior Constable Ethan West commenced duties as a Probationary Constable in December 2011 at Harbourside Police Area Command. He transferred into the Crime Prevention Officer position at The Hills Police Area Command in 2018 and is currently performing duties as the Youth Liaison Officer.

“He has performed exceptionally in the role as Youth Liaison Officer, he is dedicated to crime prevention and consistently demonstrates his commitment to establishing positive relationships with the community. His dedication to improving youth and police relationships has a direct impact in reducing youth crime and recidivist offenders in The Hills PAC.

He is innovative in his approach to fostering these relationships and diverting youth away from crime. Additionally, he leads the Love Bites Program, working in collaboration with other organisations to plan and coordinate delivery in local high schools, promoting respectful relationships. He is a true community leader who leads the “connected community” focus of The Hills PAC each and every day.”

Customer Service Excellence Award
Senior Constable Michael Barnes commenced duties in September 2000 as a Probationary Constable and transferred to The Hills Police Area Command in 2019 where he currently performs the role of the vulnerable person officer.

“The Hills PAC has one of the highest populations of elderly people in Sydney, making his work in this area invaluable. He is passionate in dealing with elder abuse, he is professional, caring, and provides assistance with problem solving and support, which was recently evidenced by his support of an elderly man with dementia and terminal cancer.

“His work in reducing frauds in the elderly community is to be commended. He regularly conducts presentations to both residents and staff of Nursing Homes and Retirement Villages throughout the Command.”

Constable of the Year Award
Constable Michael Bransfield commenced duties on 8th October 2021 at The Hills Police Area Command. He is always respectful, enthusiastic, and professional. He has been recognised on several occasions by his peers, supervisors, and members of the public for the high-level service he provides. He is a role model to others and holistically a very capable and dependable officer.