UK'S UNSUNG CONTROL ROOM HEROES CELEBRATED AT 2026 CONTROL ROOM AWARDS
The extraordinary people working behind the scenes in the UK's emergency service control rooms have been recognised at the Control Room Awards 2026.
Control room professionals from Police, Fire and Ambulance services across the country came together at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hull for an evening dedicated to celebrating the often-unseen people behind emergency calls, dispatches and critical incidents.
The awards shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams who answer calls at the most difficult moments in people's lives, coordinate emergency responses and support frontline colleagues – often without ever meeting the people whose lives they have helped save.
This year's awards recognised outstanding achievements across public service, call handling, dispatch, leadership, innovation, teamwork and long-term dedication to the control room profession.
Among the winners was Gemma Briggs from South East Coast Ambulance Service, who was named Call Taker of the Year after demonstrating extraordinary composure and skill while guiding bystanders through a cardiac arrest in a remote location.
Matthew Brown from Lincolnshire Police was named Dispatcher of the Year, while Luke Shaw from Humberside Police received the Leader of the Year Award for his work.
The British APCO Award for innovation was presented to Rebecca Eldridge and Nicola De Waal from Kent Police for their work leading Operation Engage, an innovative approach to managing repeat, nuisance and hoax contact while safeguarding vulnerable people and protecting emergency service capacity.
Lucie Neeve, Dean Nock and Keri Drury from East of England Ambulance Service were Highly Commended for their work developing TITEN, a neuroscience-informed trauma exposure training framework designed specifically for emergency control room environments. The winners and Highly Commended recipients are confirmed in the final awards material.
Mike Isherwood, co-founder of the Control Room Awards, said: "Every year, we read stories that remind us exactly why these awards exist. The people working in our control rooms are there for us on the worst days of our lives, yet most members of the public will never know their names or see the pressure they work under.
"This year's nominations were extraordinary. We heard stories of lives saved, incredible acts of compassion, innovation that is changing the way services operate and people who have devoted decades of their lives to helping others.
"The Control Room Awards are our opportunity to simply say thank you and to give these incredible people a moment in the spotlight. Every finalist should be immensely proud of what they do and the difference they make."
The evening also included two special Judges' Awards, created after the judging panel felt two nominations connected to the same major incident deserved separate recognition.
On 1 November 2025, emergency services responded to a violent attack on board an LNER train travelling towards London, in which 10 people were injured.
Nicole Douglas from East of England Ambulance Service was recognised after taking the first emergency call reporting a man armed with a knife attacking passengers on the train.
Only in her second week of mentoring as a trainee Call Handler, Nicole remained calm as events unfolded, recognised the potential severity of the incident and gathered critical information that enabled the emergency response to be rapidly escalated and coordinated.
The British Transport Police Force Control Rooms also received a Judges' Award for the exceptional response delivered by colleagues across its London and Birmingham control rooms.
Call takers, radio operators, Force Incident Managers, Team Managers and specialist support teams worked together under immense pressure, rapidly sharing critical information, coordinating firearms resources and supporting officers and partner agencies throughout the fast-moving incident.
Staff extended shifts and attended from home to support the response, while teams continued to maintain business-as-usual operations across the rail network.
Mike added: "Normally, the judging panel selects the finalists and winners within each category, but this year there were two nominations we simply couldn't move past without recognising.
"They told two sides of the same extraordinary incident, from the first emergency call through to the huge, coordinated control room response that followed.
"These awards are about shining a light on the unseen work of control room professionals, and I don't think there could be a more powerful example of why that matters."
The 2026 winners were:
Community Champion Award: Laura Edwards – Gwent Police
Bravery and Courage Award: Tanya Alderman and Palmer – Kent Police
Services to the Public Award: Andrea Soames – Lincolnshire Police
Call Taker of the Year: Gemma Briggs – South East Coast Ambulance Service
Dispatcher of the Year: Matthew Brown – Lincolnshire Police
Leader of the Year: Luke Shaw – Humberside Police
Young Achiever of the Year: Luke Stevenson – East Midlands Ambulance Service
Lifetime Achievement Award: Janet Hayton – Humberside Fire and Rescue Service
British APCO Award: Rebecca Eldridge and Nicola De Waal – Kent Police
Control Room Ambassador of the Year: Lisa Farrell – London Ambulance Service
Team of the Year: Force Contact, Command and Control Department – Sussex Police
John Gilhooly Award: Oliver Dean – Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Judges' Awards: Nicole Douglas – East of England Ambulance Service and British Transport Police Force Control Rooms
The Control Room Awards 2026 were supported by headline sponsor Motorola Solutions, alongside Salesforce, Content Guru, Zetron and British APCO, with Cleric supporting the evening as official drinks sponsor.
The independent judging panel included Becky Tipper from Salesforce, Ben Hawkins, a previous Control Room Awards winner and advocate for the profession, and Duncan Swan from British APCO.
The Control Room Awards were established to recognise the extraordinary contribution of people working within emergency and public safety control rooms and to shine a spotlight on the profession's Unsung Heroes, and have been running for nine years.