FARNHAM’S police heroes have been rewarded for their determination, dedication and passion at an annual commendation ceremony.

Officers and staff were recognised for outstanding examples of police work in Farnham including hunting down the culprits of a robbery in Farnham Park, apprehending a wanted arsonist on Christmas Day and finding a missing five-year-old just weeks after the death of her mother.

The Divisional Commendation Ceremony was held at The Refectory at Guildford Cathedral and the following awards highlight just a handful of the challenging situations Surrey Police employees find themselves in on a day to day basis.

• Members of Surrey Police’s targeted patrol team and helicopter crew were commended for their “relentless determination” to pursue and capture the offenders of a robbery in Farnham Park, resulting in a custodial sentence.

After a 23-year-old man was robbed by two men in Farnham Park in March 2015, a four-hour search of the park by police officers, a dog handler and the police helicopter aided by members of the public resulted in the arrest of both culprits.

One of the offenders, who was only 17, later pleaded guilty to robbery at Guildford Youth Court and received a 12-month rehabilitation order including a curfew and supervision by the probation service.

The other offender pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to six months imprisonment at Guildford Crown Court.

Commended for their response to the incident were Police Constables (Pcs) Scott Green, Jason Anderson, Chris Fairclough, Richard Etheridge, David Fry, Mark Jay and Matt Kilpatric, Police Community Support Officer Dave Towner, Sergeant Derek Smith, Captain Mark Hostler, Hayley Ranson, Sarah Fry and Emma Fairclough.

“All the officers involved were instrumental in locating and relentlessly pursuing these offenders,” read their citation. “This is a great example of team work showing how various departments within the force work together effectively as a cohesive unit to remove violent individuals from the streets of Surrey.”

• Pcs Philip Potter, Emma Purcell and Ryan Foweraker-Scott, and Detective Sergeant (DS) Carl Emery received a commendation for their “relentless pursuit and determination” to locate a vulnerable suicidal male.

On Christmas Day, 2014, the family of a man wanted by police for attempting to set a petrol station in Farnham alight just weeks earlier called the police to report they had just found him trying to hang himself in common land.

Police officers were assigned to search for the man and, with the help of a dog search team and the police helicopter, found him hidden in the back of a van.

However, the man then attacked the officers and had to be subdued using CS gas before he was arrested and taken to Guildford police station, where officers worked through the night to assess his mental health and present a case for criminal charges.

The man later pleaded guilty at court and was convicted for arson with intent to endanger life and resisting a constable in the execution of their duty. He was sentenced to three years in jail.

The officers’ citation added: “All officers worked between 18 and 20 hours that Christmas night, working their own late shift through the night and into the following early shift…to achieve a positive outcome.”

• And Inspector Darren Benge and Farnham Fire Station’s ‘White Watch’ were awarded for their “determination and excellent partnership working” to find a missing five-year-old child, much to the relief of her grieving family.

In the evening of January 15, 2015, the five-year-old girl was reported missing just two weeks after her mother had passed away. Her father believed she was watching television and when he went to check on her could not find her and had frantically checked the house.

Police officers soon joined the search for the small child, enlisting the help of the police helicopter and firefighters from Farnham fire station.

Despite the house having already been searched, Temporary Inspector Darren Benge asked firefighter Christopher Blackaby and his colleagues to use thermal imaging equipment to search the home once more.

A short time later Christopher and his crew, using the specialised equipment, located the small girl in her bedroom asleep under a piled duvet, which appeared to have been discarded as if someone had just got out of bed.

Their citation read: “The whole team were hugely relieved to have found the small child safe and well. This incident shows great leadership and an excellent example of joint agency working. The father, who had recently lost his wife passed on his thanks to all concerned.”