Control Room Awards 2025 Finalists are Announced to Celebrate the Unseen Heroes of Emergency Services.
The shortlist for the Control Room Awards 2025 has officially been announced, honouring the outstanding professionalism, dedication, and compassion of the people working behind the scenes in control rooms across the UK and beyond.
Now in their seventh year, the Control Room Awards remain the only accolades dedicated to the unsung heroes in police, fire, ambulance, and coastguard control rooms, as well as other critical control operations, whose actions save lives and support frontline responders every day. Winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on July 3 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Hull.
The 2025 Control Room Awards Judging Panel featured high-profile leaders from the control room sector, including:
Andy Day, Director of Business Development (Public Safety Group), Sopra Steria
Jeremy Habberley, BAPCO Trustee
Becky Tipper, Account Executive - UK Policing, Salesforce
Ben Hawkins, Former Winner and Control Room Mental Health Champion
Mike Isherwood, Co-Founder of the Control Room Awards
Judging took place the day after the tragic events in Liverpool, where celebrations turned to horror. This incident underscored the vital role control room professionals play in coordinating fast, effective, and life-saving emergency responses.
Andy Day, who returned as a long-standing judge and headline sponsor, said “I am absolutely delighted to be back again for the 2025 Control Room Awards, this is such a highlight for me each year. After judging the awards for so long, you’d think it would get easier—but it never does. The level of courage, professionalism and compassion shown in the nominations is always humbling.
On the eve of judging, we saw the horrifying scenes unfold in Liverpool. A night that should’ve been full of joy became something else entirely. The speed and coordination of the emergency services that night—Police, Fire, Ambulance and other agencies begins in the control room. This incident will have been extremely challenging and serves as another example of how vital our control room professionals are.”
The panel was joined by new judges who brought fresh insight to the process, including Becky Tipper of Salesforce, who spent more than 22 years working in Avon and Somerset Police’s control room. Becky Said:
As a first-time judge for the Control Room Awards, I found the experience incredibly moving. Every nomination told a powerful story - from moments where someone starts out as a voice on the end of a phone or radio, to becoming the person someone remembers for the rest of their life. These are people who show up day in, day out in some of the most challenging circumstances - saving and changing lives, supporting their communities and colleagues and working hard to improve service to the public, often without realising the full impact they have had.
To say ‘It’s just my job,’ doesn’t even come close, it’s so much more than that. The bravery, compassion and dedication in these nominations was extraordinary. Narrowing it down to a shortlist was unbelievably difficult because there are so many worthy winners. That’s why these awards are so important. They shine a light on the individuals and teams whose dedication might not always be seen, but whose work transforms lives in the most profound ways. Everyone nominated should be extremely proud. You are truly remarkable.
Also joining the judging panel this year was Jeremy Habberly, representing BAPCO. Jeremy said: “It was my first time judging and I was delighted and honoured to represent BAPCO. The experience was awe-inspiring, and I’m looking forward to a brilliant night celebrating some of these unsung heroes.”
Sopra Steria and Salesforce are joint headline sponsors for the 2024 Control Room Awards, building on their existing collaboration through a new citizen-centric policing platform. This partnership aims to modernise contact and engagement in control rooms by integrating Sopra Steria’s STORM Command and Control system with Salesforce technology, improving emergency response and support for vulnerable individuals.
The Finalists for the 2025 Control Room Awards are:
Bravery and Courage Award
Debbie Real - London Fire Brigade
Annmarie Harper - Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control
Tom Mander-MacGregor - Kent Police
Community Champion Award
Jack Boyle - National Ambulance Service of Ireland
Michael Toward - Durahm Constabulary
Emma Dougal - Northumbria Police
Control Room Ambassador of the Year
Amy Crackett - Northumbria Police
Christopher Blackman - South East Coast Ambulance Service
Courtney Hoare - East of England Ambulance Service
Call Taker of the Year - Sponsored by Salesforce
Julia Durbin - Avon and Somerset Police
Paula Jones - London Fire Brigade
Simon Proctor - North East Ambulance Service
Lauren Inglis - NHS Ayrshire and Arran
Dispatcher of the Year- Sponsored by Sopra Steria
Rachel Ness - Humberside Police
Nicola Smith - Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control
Aaron Conroy - National Ambulance Service Ireland
Toni Davies - North East Ambulance Service
John Gilhooly Award
Keri Drury - East of England Ambulance Service
Alisatir Strachan - Scottish Ambulance Service
Gillian Whitfield - Northumbria Police
Leader of the Year
Russell Cox - Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
Julia Nixon - Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Becky Davey - South East Coast Ambulance Service
Lifetime Achievement
Keith - East of England Ambulance
Luke Shaw - Humberside Police
Luke Nebbet - South East Coast Ambulance
Services to the Public
Helen White - Kent Police
Jamie Brown - Staffordshire and West Midlands Fire Control
Jo-anne Perryman - Kent Police
The British APCO Control Room Innovation Award
Humber Bridge Control Room Project Team
The Joint Emergency Services Control Room Team - Anguilla (British Overseas Territory)
Emma Jepson and Phillip Ainsworth - Humberside Police
Team of the Year Award
FCIR Learning and Development Team - Kent Police
C Watch North Team 2 - London Ambulance Service
Remote Patient Team - Yorkshire Ambulance Service
For more information on the Control Room Awards, visit www.controlroomawards.com. You can also follow the Control Room Awards on Facebook: @controlroomawards; Twitter: @CR_Awards; and LinkedIn: Control Room Awards.