A POLICE force is celebrating after being highly commended for the outstanding way it communicates with its staff.

Durham Constabulary was praised for its outstanding employee engagement strategy at the 2016 HR Excellence Awards in London.

In their citation, judges said: "Reducing theft from motor vehicles, criminal damage and arson and increasing victim satisfaction, community confidence and detection rates is no mean feat for a police force during severe public sector cuts.

"And yet this is exactly what Durham Constabulary has achieved. And it puts these wider wins for the force and its community in no small part down to its exemplary employee engagement strategy."

One strong example was it internal communications. The force had previously discontinued its in-house newspaper to save money,.

But the staff survey showed this was an important information tool and so Copperplate was resurrected in 2015.

Judges also noted the force had introduced monthly blogs by members of the force executive to get across key messages.

And the organisation created well-being champions among its force to engage with staff on "the little things" that are important to them.

The force's health services manager manager, Denise Thomas, said: “We are highly delighted, first of all that we were shortlisted - because it is quite a prestigious award to get that far.

"And while we never achieved the overall award, being highly commended is something that we feel quite privileged and proud about.

"It recognises everything we have done over the last few years in employee engagement."