A former bus driver who has now joined Hampshire Constabulary as a Police officer has been awarded after he successfully located a vulnerable missing person.
Luke Cumberpatch was working as a bus driver for Southern Vectis when he was made aware of police enquiries into a missing woman on the Island.
During his bus route, he saw a woman matching the missing person’s description and stopped his bus to invite her on board, despite it not being a designated bus stop.
Once she was on the bus, Mr Cumberpatch spoke with his control who in turn alerted the police control room. Officers were deployed and confirmed the woman on the bus was indeed the missing person.
Mr Cumberpatch’s quick thinking and actions assisted in locating a vulnerable person. These are the hallmarks of a great police officer, and since this incident, Mr Cumberpatch has gone on to join the Constabulary and is now a response and patrol police officer.
Speaking at the ceremony, PC Cumberpatch said:
“Being a police officer now, I’ve seen both sides of the coin, so the civilian side where people will do as much as they can to help out with police enquiries, and then seeing the work that goes on before those enquiries take place with regards to reports that are taken and the work that police officers do before it becomes public knowledge.
“It’s definitely a different world, and I don’t think many people realise the amount of work that goes into what most people would think is a simple case of, ‘someone has gone missing and we need to go and find them’.
Article continues below this advertisement “I thought, if I can do this then it might be something I can look at doing as a career. Being in the police was something I had wanted to do since I left school. It’s been occurrences and incidents like this that have led to me going, do you know what, it’s probably time to give it a go.”
On receiving his award, he continued:
“It’s breath-taking. I started in May so I’m not even a year in yet, and to be able to receive a police award is phenomenal. To be able to put in the work as well on both sides, it feels massively rewarding.”
Luke received his award at the Isle of Wight District Commander’s Awards, hosted by Superintendent Sarah Jackson at the Riverside Centre in Newport on 16th November.
LISTEN to Luke Cumberpatch talk about the incident and his award
Good to see Ricky Gervis still grabbing the headlines and doing the right thing.
Hey ! I found an old penny, can I join as an investigator….??
A true Knight of the Road. Well done, Sir.
Wish someone would stop that guy on small motorbike that makes it backfire three times in a row as he riders around Ryde. Probably not insured, plus goes along the front, around at the King Ludd and heads back but then turns right up George St… NO RIGHT TURN allowed there… but hey ho, no police there either.. bangi9ng and high loud revving up George St, across Cross St, then down Union St revving and banging all the way…the heads back to top of Sandcroft / Weeks Rd area.. I might just pull my car out in front of him if hear him coming next time..
If it bothers you so much, why not go into stealth mode and find out where the idiot lives, and take it from their….