A KENT police officer has been presented with a medal and certificate by the Home Secretary David Blunkett after being named as one of the best community officers in Britain.

PC Ian Woodland, who is one of Dover's town centre constables, was selected as Kent’s Community Police Officer of the Year.

PC Woodland was one of 40 officers from around the country nominated for the Police Review Gala Awards. The ceremony in London was compered by BBC Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross.

He was put forward for the award by his managers at the Strategic Crime Reduction Unit at South East Kent police.

Head of the team, Insp Paul Ludwig, said: "Ian has made a remarkable impact on reducing crimes in Dover Town Centre thanks to his work developing the award-winning Dover Partnership Against Crime, and his ideas are being adopted in other parts of Kent."

PC Woodland has achieved a number of successes in addition to the development of the DPAC. He helped to foil a planned armed robbery in March 2000 in an operation which led to the arrest of a number of offenders and in which firearms were seized.

He also introduced a fingerprint scheme to deal with drug dealers and drunks who intimidated locals and visitors.