The winner of the individual category was Detective Sergeant Gina Horch, from Karratha Detectives who has dedicated her time in the Pilbara District to cultivating a safe and trusting environment for juvenile victims of sexual abuse to come forward and report incidents, both historical and current.

The winners of the team category were the Midland Police CBD Team, from the Central Metropolitan District for actively immersing themselves into the community to target significant antisocial behaviour and theft offences in the Midland CBD.

Finalists in the individual category were:

• Sergeant Jeremy Fricker - Laverton Police Station, Goldfields Esperance District
• Sergeant Rachel Greene - Wembley Police Station, Central Metropolitan District

Get to know the individual category finalists and winner:

Finalists in the team category were:

• Ravensthorpe Police Station – Great Southern District
• Wyndham Police Station – Kimberley District

Get to know the team category finalists and winner:

Detective Sergeant Gina Horch

Multiple nominations were received for this officer – most of which were from WA Police Force colleagues who describe her as a great role model, leading by example and showing respect, fairness and openness when dealing with victims and their families.

Detective Sergeant Horch heavily involves herself in the community, gaining trust and building rapport with the locals. She shows empathy when dealing with young children and patience and persistence is evident.

Detective Sergeant Horch is always striving to do her best and has built collaborative relationships with other government and non-government agencies in the area to assist vulnerable victims within the community.

She has raised confidence in the WA Police Force by her leadership, passion and tireless dedication and has recorded an exceptionally high amount of convictions for the towns of Roebourne and Karratha.

Midland Police CBD Team

This team was put together to target significant anti-social behaviour and theft offences within the Midland CBD. The three constables within the team have immersed themselves into the community, building public confidence and trust and rapport with business owners who often call them direct for assistance.

The officers are highly motivated, engaging and have a genuine desire to protect the community and improve the safety and wellbeing of persons attending the Midland CBD area. They have instigated a number of initiatives which challenged the norm and produced great outcomes, including a reduction in crime in the area.

They focus not only on targeting offenders but on redirecting them to counselling or other avenues to assist them to curve their pattern of behaviour. These officers have also proactively become mentors of youth they have had dealings with and attempted to guide them into meaningful studies. They have had a huge impact on the local community, receiving positive feedback from numerous stakeholders and significant changes in the CBD are evident as a direct result of their efforts.