Wallingford
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Police honour brave grandfather
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| Recognition: Chief Constable Sara Thornton honours Jim Crocker |
A GRANDFATHER who thwarted a robbery and a police officer who helped jail a rapist have been praised.
Jim Crocker, 61, won a Chief Constable's Commendation for detaining the robber until police arrived.
The grandfather-of-two, of Chatsworth Drive, Banbury, grabbed the robber by the arm and held him until police arrived, after the thief tried to steal from a till at Morrison's supermarket while armed with what turned out to be an imitiation firearm.
He picked up his award with his wife Kathryn at a ceremony at Drayton Park Golf Club from Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton.
Mr Crocker said: "I was 85 per cent sure it was not real.
"Once I grabbed his arm he went pretty rigid. I kept saying 'put the gun down'.
"I was sure the gun was fake and took the chance."
The robber was jailed for four years.
In March, Mr Crocker also received the High Sheriff's Award for Bravery for the incident.
PC Julie Jacobs, 50, from the Cowley domestic violence unit, received her Chief Constable's Commendation for helping convict a rapist.
Karl Stoute, 21, of Barton, Oxford, was jailed last April for at least six-and-a-half years after being found guilty of keeping a woman as a sex slave.
Mother-of-three PC Jacobs was praised for securing evidence from his victim.
She said: "Though it's fantastic to be recognised by the judge and at these commendations, being able to tell the victim he had been sent to jail was better than anything."
It was PC Jacob's first job with the unit after spending 11 years in the force.
Last year, she broke her back in a motorcycle crash on Oxford's Eastern Bypass, taking five months off work to recover.
PC Kay Alder, from the public protection unit in Wallingford, won a commendation for running the Thames Valley's Home Office intermediary scheme.
The scheme, piloted in Oxfordshire, helps vulnerable witnesses and victims.
Intermediaries are now provided to help people with learning disabilities or health problems, such as strokes, to cope with police interviews and even testify in court.
The 36-year-old mother-of-two has worked in the police for the past 18 years.
She said: "This scheme has given vulnerable people a voice. I am very pleased that this award recognises the work going into helping vulnerable witnesses and victims."
Oxfordshire Commander, Chief Supt Shaun Morley, said: "Often work like this is unsung, so it's a pleasure to recognise their outstanding work that contributes to bringing serious offenders to justice."
9:05am Sunday 4th May 2008
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