A BASINGSTOKE police officer has been praised as one of the “most impressive” volunteers on the force in the county in his work to protect the community.

Special Constable Bruce Armstrong was honoured at the recent Chief Constable’s Awards which recognise acts of bravery and self-sacrifice made by members of Hampshire Constabulary which have saved lives and protected the vulnerable in the county.

SC Armstrong, who performs his policing role while working as a nurse consultant, was not only praised for his hard work for the police force, but for giving up his spare time to assist officers.

This was proven in May last year when he was working with officers in Basingstoke, searching for two robbery suspects.

As searches were being carried out following the report of a robbery, a second call came in, claiming one of the suspects was armed with a knife.

Undeterred by the possible threat, SC Armstrong continued to stop several people in the area until he made two arrests.

Those people were later charged, and SC Armstrong remained on duty for several hours to ensure all the paperwork was complete, leaving him just two hours before he started his day job.

His award citation read: “He has been hailed as one of the most impressive special constables working to protect the communities of Hampshire.

“Not only has his work seen him take two armed robbers off our streets, his unwavering loyalty, enthusiasm and professionalism has proven a real asset to the force.

“And we must remember, he does all this in his spare time, fitting it around his day job as a nurse consultant.”

Presenting the awards Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said: “Officers should not have to face the threat of violence when trying to do their job, but sadly this is not always the reality.

“Once again we have seen how our officers have refused to give up when confronted with such unacceptable aggression.

“It is important for me to celebrate these achievements and show people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight the exceptional work our officers are doing day in and day out to fight crime and protect the vulnerable.”

Alongside SC Armstrong, other officers and members of the public were honoured for their acts of bravery at the awards, held in Netley, included members of Hampshire Constabulary who went running into a burning building, and those who stopped an armed attacker.