Our first nominee for Isle of Man Newspapers’ Community Police Officer of the Year award is PC Louise Kennaugh.

She has been nominated by Shannon Murray from Willaston.

Mrs Murray wrote to Isle of Man Newspapers the day after the bomb hoax at Willaston School, which took place on September 28.

Mrs Murray said: 'I think this has come at the right time, as yesterday my daughter’s school was evacuated due to the bomb hoax. PC Lou handled the situation amazingly.

'She stayed calm, and she told [the kids] how amazing they all acted.

'Honestly, the kids were quite vulnerable and scared [the following] morning when going into school, [but] she was so reassuring, caring and affectionate towards the pupils.’

When asked why she felt she wanted to nominate PC Kennaugh specifically Mrs Murray said: 'She always brings smiles and laughter to all the kids and it’s lovely that the kids feel safe around her.

'I don’t know anyone who deserves the award more then her, not just for this police award, but for being a genuine human being and putting others, and especially the children in the community before her.’

PC Kennaugh said of the nomination: 'I am part of a team of five, and a lot of what we do goes unnoticed.

'We’re part of the community team, so we kind of do a bit of everything, and often the results are unseen, [although that’s] not what we do it for.’

PC Kennaugh has been a police officer for 23 years, and said the community of Willaston is a brilliant place to work.

She said: 'It’s one of the communities in the island that still has that community feel left.

'I am what you would call a community officer, I love getting to know people and trying to help them out, as trite as that sounds.

'And also the school is the bit that really drove me there, because it’s just amazing.

'I’ve got kids of my own that have grown up, so I get paid to still interact with young people, who are just amazing kids.’

Speaking about the recent bomb hoax at the school, she said: 'Myself and my colleague were first there, and do you know what - the kids were just fantastic.’

She added: ’[Willaston] is a good old fashioned community and they seem to want to work with me, which is brilliant and I try my hardest.

'I’ve done loads of roles in this job, I’ve been in many departments, but I always seem to end up back in a community role, so it’s obviously something that I like.

'So for them to think it’s kind of cool that I do it, yeah, you can’t really beat that, can you?’

To nominate an officer, send the name of your chosen officer and your reasons for choosing him or her by email to [email protected]. Alternatively, 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 phone number so we can contact you.