LONG service and good conduct awards have been presented to police officers in North Devon.

They are Inspector Roger Bartlett, Constable Mark Goulding, Constable Andrew Ladley and temporary Superintendent John Vellacott.

Inspector Roger Bartlett joined the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary on December 30, 1985 and following training was posted to St Austell in the spring of 1986.

After 18 months in Cornwall Roger was transferred to Exeter where he crashed a police car while negotiating a roundabout 'counter clockwise' in response to an emergency.

Unfortunately, the bus he hit was full of witnesses whose accounts added to the death knell for any career in traffic.

In 1991 Roger took a break and travelled around the world, rejoining the Force in 1992.

The following year he was appointed as a community constable in Exeter city centre.

While in this role he gained a Chief Constable's Commendation for proactive policing.

From 1998 and into the new century Roger worked in the Association of Chief Police Officers' presidential staff office, preparing the service to withstand the millennium bug.

Roger was promoted to Sergeant while in this post and had the pleasure of seeing in the new century in the Police National Information Centre in New Scotland Yard.

A posting to North Devon saw Roger working as a response sergeant, then a neighbourhood team leader and finally a custody officer prior to promotion to his current rank of Inspector.

In the past two years Roger has been staff officer to Devon's basic command unit Commander and, latterly, the geographic support Inspector for Northern Devon.

He is a long term member of the Christian Police Association management group and his faith is a fundamental cornerstone of his public service.

Constable Mark Goulding's reason for joining the police in January 1988 was that he wanted a more challenging job.

After training college, he was posted to Charles Cross and took part in daily foot patrols in Union Street and Plymouth City Centre.

Mark enjoyed working in Plymouth and acquired the nick name of 'Boulder' following an incident in which an aggressive young man decided to run at him one night, only to discover Mark's granite-like qualities.

Mark merely dropped his shoulder to brace himself for the impact.

The name 'Boulder' somehow became 'Bilder' which has stuck with him ever since.

Mark was then posted to Ilfracombe and enjoyed three and a half years there, becoming a tutor constable.

He developed an interest in fast cars and became a traffic officer in 1994.

The following year Mark received a Chief Fire Officer's Commendation for bravery with his colleague MPC Nick Porter.

On discovering a house fire in Fort Street, Barnstaple, both officers put their own lives at risk to rescue the elderly woman occupant who was trapped inside.

Mark was diagnosed with type one diabetes in August 1999 which saw a significant change in his career.

He became the Neighbourhood Beat Manager for Barnstaple town centre, followed by spells in the Resource Allocation Unit, Probationer Training at headquarters, Beat Manager at South Molton and Youth Intervention Officer at Barnstaple.

He recently returned to traffic as the Road Casualty Reduction Officer for Northern Devon.

Constable Andrew Ladley joined the Metropolitan Police in February 1988 and became an advanced car driver, public order trained officer, stolen vehicle examiner and tutor constable.

He also gained a wealth of experience with the CID, vehicle, drug and burglary squads.

Andy received two Chief Superintendents' Commendations for his bravery and tenacity when arresting violent and prolific offenders.

In 2003 Andy decided on a change of scenery and swapped his urban environment for a life of rural policing in Devon.

He was initially posted to Bideford and then South Molton.

In 2008 Andy's heroic actions were again recognised when he received a Royal Humane Society Commendation for the resuscitation of a woman who had collapsed on Witheridge Moor.

Andy is currently working in Pilton, Barnstaple, as a Neighbourhood Beat Manager.

Temporary Superintendent John Vellacott joined the Metropolitan Police in February 1988 following a four year stint in the Royal Navy.

At Hendon Police Training School, he was awarded both the Top Student Award for academic achievement and the Baton of Honour for being the top all round student on his course.

John's probationary posting was to Twickenham Police Station followed by a subsequent posting to Teddington.

He was in the thick of the poll tax riots in Trafalgar Square, attended the Marchioness River disaster and was involved in the response to bombings and terrorist attacks.

His experience in London was capped with a posting to the Met's Tactical Support Group in 1997.

In January 1988, he joined Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and was posted to his birth town of Ilfracombe as a patrol sergeant.

After short spells on the North Devon Special Operations Group and with the Internal Affairs Department he was promoted to Sector Inspector at Barnstaple.

In 2003, he secured £500,000 worth of funding for the "Foyer Project" which helps homeless young people in North Devon.

In March 2004 he was first in the constabulary to use new powers to disperse disorderly people under Section 30 of the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003.

Periods as acting Chief Inspector in northern Devon and acting Detective Chief Inspector for Devon basic command unit allowed John to gain experience as a senior manager.

He was quickly promoted to Detective Chief Inspector in June 2007.

John excelled in this role, in particular as a champion for victims of domestic abuse and in crime investigation.

In December 2008, he was appointed as the temporary superintendent for Exeter, a post he remains in to date.