Axminster Police and Community Support Officer Hayley Widger has received a Chief Superintendent's Commendation for her commitment to the community.

The East Devon Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "As many in Axminster will agree Hayley is an incredibly valuable asset to the town and this is just one example of the fantastic work she does with the community everyday.

"We could not be prouder of Hayley being recognised for her work with independent speaker Paul Hannaford.

"On securing funding, Hayley arranged for Paul to attend Axe Valley Academy and The Woodroffe School to speak about his own real life experiences of the dangers of knives, gangs and drugs.

"An amazing piece of early intervention work that just would not have been possible without Hayley's hard work and determination.

"Of course, she isn't done there and is currently having further conversations about rolling this out to our other towns.

"Hayley would be the first to admit she does not do her role in an attempt to receive awards but it is always nice to have such brilliant work recognised."