A police constable who relocated to Argyll after being injured in a car crash has been shortlisted for a national awards ceremony.
PC Laura Evans devotes her time to helping elderly and vulnerable people in Argyll after moving from the central belt where she held national roles in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
The officer, who has been shortlisted in the Community Commitment category of this year’s Scottish Police Federation (SPF) Awards, even took a demotion in order to serve her new patch, having previously worked as an inspector for Police Scotland.
Since moving, she has undertaken a range of new initiatives to help rural communities, with her nominator highlighting that “every single day, without question, Laura goes over and above what is expected of her”.
PC Evans has helped train more than 60 local officers on how to work more closely with mental health services, and secured funding for “dementia tags” to protect those living with the illness in remote areas.
She also arranged for vulnerable people in the area to get call-blocking devices to safeguard them from scams and spends time visiting care homes, senior citizens’ groups and other organisations to raise awareness of fraud.
The constable travels across all of Argyll and Bute to ensure community safety messages are communicated to the entire geographical area.
In PC Evans’ nomination submission, Anne-Marie King, Alzheimer Scotland’s adviser for Argyll and Bute, said: “The impact and benefits of her initiatives on the lives of those living with dementia, and their families, cannot be underestimated in terms of promoting safety, confidence and independence.”
PC Evans is one of 20 officers to have been shortlisted for the SPF’s annual awards across five categories: Team Bravery, Individual Bravery, Community Commitment, Unsung Hero and Cops’ Cop of the Year.
A special Chair’s Award will also be announced at the ceremony, which will take place Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Thursday, November 23.