A police officer has spoken of his ’surprise’ at being nominated for the annual Community Police Officer of the Year award.

Constable David Schumacher was nominated by the family of a young boy with cerebral palsy after he organised a birthday treat for him.

PC Schumacher of the road policing unit arranged for seven-year-old Dylan Walton to have a ride in a police car, a tour of the police station, demonstrated how fingerprints are taken, showed him the police’s firing range and created a special warrant card for him.

Dylan first met PC Schumacher, who has been with the police for 10 years, through Rebecca House children’s hospice when the charity arranged for him to travel in the lead car during the Simon Andrew’s memorial lap driven by PC Schumacher.

The officer said that Dylan just ’struck a chord’ with him and he offered to give him a tour of the police station.

PC Schumacher added: ’I had promised him a tour of the station but then never heard anything more.

’Then his mother emailed me and asked if I could still give him a tour for his birthday, so I picked him up in the police car, took him for a bit of a drive and showed him round.’

PC Schumacher said he was ’very surprised’ to be nominated for the award as his work rarely allows him to engage in much community police.

He added: ’It was a bit of a shock for me and everyone else on the team as I don’t really do the nicer side of community policing so it was a massive surprise, but a real privilege.’

The officer was nominated by Dylan’s grandmother Sharron Calvert.

She said PC Schumacher had ’gone above and beyond to please and help my grandson and put a huge smile on Dylan’s face’.

She added: ’He collected him from his home on his birthday, put the sirens on the car and explained clearly what he does for the public and treated Dylan to a perfect birthday surprise.

’He’s also said that he would help if he could in anyway shape or form if Dylan ever needed any assistance as he’s a wheelchair user.’

’In our eyes, PC Schumacher is a true gent and has a very big fan of all of us for all his wonderful surprises he has given Dylan.’

â?¢ To nominate an officer send the name of your chosen officer and your reasons for choosing him or her by email to [email protected] or write to Community Police Officer of the Year Award, Isle of Man Newspapers, European House, Peel Road, Douglas, IM1 5ED.

Please include your own full name, address and a telephone number so we can contact you.

The deadline for nominations is May 10.

The winner, chosen by our judging panel, will be presented with a trophy at the Chief Constable’s Awards Ceremony.