THE work undertaken to improve the way Dyfed Powys Police communicates with the public has been recognised by the Association of Police Public Relations Officers at their annual award ceremony sponsored by G4S.

Rhian Davies-Moore, the PR and marketing manager for the force, won the 'Outstanding Newcomer' category.

The award acknowledged the work undertaken to change the way the force communicated by putting in place a framework for both internal and external communications.

Sarah Craig, chair of the Association of Police Public Relations Officers, said: "I am delighted that Rhian won the APPRO award for Outstanding Newcomer. We had a number of entries in this category, but we were looking for someone who had shown outstanding personal achievement during their short time working in the police service.  Rhian was able to evidence quite clearly her innovation and creativity with some fantastic examples of both internal and external marketing campaigns. She has clearly made a valuable and significant contribution to the force's ability to achieve its communications objectives and for that she is to be commended."

Rhian added: "I was both surprised and delighted that we won the award. Dyfed Powys Police do an amazing job and work hard to make sure crime is low and detections are high - many people do not realise that they live in the safest place in Wales because we simply do not tell them.

"We are now getting smarter about the way that we communicate with our residents so they can feel safe as well as be safe."

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Ingram added: "The force recognised it needed to change the way it communicated with residents. When Rhian joined the team, she identified the key strategic issues facing the force and provided an appropriate direction of travel for our PR and marketing strategies."