A PRISON officer from Dartmoor Prison at Princetown last week enjoyed one of the highlights of his service career, when he attended the national ?prison service Oscars? award ceremony in Droitwich.
David Crawford, 34, was nominated in the resettlement category during the annual Prison Officer of the Year awards, held in Droitwich.
The awards were introduced last year to recognise and reward the exceptional service and achievements delivered by prison officers throughout the year.
David said the ceremony, which he attended with his wife Suzanne, was ?absolutely fantastic? ? it had been a ?complete shock? to find he had made it to the finals.
?The service really went the whole way ? it was just like the Oscars. There was a garden party in the afternoon, we got to the meet the prisons minister, all the prison board were there including Martin Narey ? it was fantastic, it really made you feel valued,? said David, who was eventually just pipped to the post in his category.
?It was just great to get that far ? it was between 23,000 people so to get to the final was really good, but it?s not just about me, it?s about the changing role at Dartmoor and it really put the prison on the map,? he said.
?Everyone who was nominated got a silver salver and it was very nice for our partners to be there and see it all ? it was a real honour to be there.?
David has been at HMP Dartmoor for nearly four years following time spent at Maidstone Prison. He has been working on the resettlement unit project for the last eighteen months and commutes to work from his home at Callington.
He said being nominated for the national award boosted the prison staff ? and inmates themselves.
?They feel part of it ? and quite rightly so,? said David. ?A lot of work goes into prison resettlement and it?s nice to be recognised in this way.
?It was actually a double celebration for me ? I?d just done a promotion board and I found out that night I?d got it, so it?s been a fantastic past week in the service,? he said.
Graham Johnson, governor at HMP Dartmoor, said: ?I am delighted that the work undertaken by principal officer David Crawford has been recognised by the service as a whole in his selection as a finalist for the Prison Officer of the Year Awards.
?I consider this recognition to be real evidence of the quality work being undertaken at HMP Dartmoor.?