Constable Tom Duke is Isle of Man Newspapers’ Community Police Officer of the Year 2020.

He will receive his trophy at the Chief Constable’s annual awards ceremony later in the year.

PC Duke, who has been based in the northern neighbourhood policing team for two years, was nominated by two families from the north of the island.

The first nomination for PC Duke was sent in by the Howard/ Brough family of Ramsey.

They wanted to thank him, alongside Detective Constable Emily McLean, for their support to the family through an illness and bereavement.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Laura said: ’They both displayed great empathy and great support all while being fantastic police officers so, as a family, we couldn’t think of two people more deserving.’

PC Duke attended an incident in relation to her grandma, who had been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

’She wasn’t very good with new faces but straight away he managed to calm her down and talk to her on her level.

’She instantly became relaxed and was able to explain what was happening. He even talked to her in the hospital when she was an in-patient when visiting somebody else.’

PC Duke was also nominated by a couple who had a lucky escape after crashing their car on the Mountain Road in icy conditions in January.

Their car was prevented from heading off down a steep drop by fencing. But they were both stuck in the vehicle, which had come to a standstill just off the road.

The driver, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ’We only had a short wait and one of the officers, PC Duke, lifted my wheelchair out so I could escape, and then my husband.

’He arranged for the breakdown truck to collect the car and insisted on taking us home.

’The car had to be emptied and he walked back and forth with all the boxes, which weren’t in bags, loading them in the police car. On arriving at our home he took all the boxes indoors, went through my documents, and then went back to work.’

PC Duke joined the constabulary as a regular officer in September 2016 after two years as a special constable.