Northumbria Police officer heralded as ‘inspiration’ for work on Covid campaign

A Northumbria Police officer has been heralded as an 'inspiration' and has been been given a prestigious policing award for her work on a Covid campaign.

PC Amii Stewart joined the force shortly before the pandemic hit and, in many ways, became the face of safety campaigns in the region.

From 2020, the 30-year-old appeared on TV and radio and her photo was posted on buses, Metros and across shopping centres, as the region shared public health messaging to help people understand more about Covid 19 and how they could protect themselves and others.

During the pandemic PC Stewart lost a close loved one and had to postpone her wedding - experiences she has shared as part of the North East’s #BeatCovidNE campaign.

The former Special Constable said: “When I was asked to take part in the campaign, I had no idea how big it would become

“The aim was to have people from across the area, all services, sectors and backgrounds highlight why it was so important people followed the rules and guidance in place.

“I’m proud of how, as a region, we really came together and people overwhelmingly did the right thing to protect themselves, their loved ones and the wider community.

“I’m really happy I took part in the campaign. The reaction I got from people was great, with so many lovely messages and my family were buzzing.

“It was such a good opportunity to show people we are human. It was nice to tell my story and show that police officers are so much more than the uniform.”

PC Stewart only became a Police Officer in 2019, so has spent the majority of her career working under Covid-19.

The virus also hit close to home for the officer.

She said: "When my fiancée contracted Covid, she had to go into hospital and I was so worried as I had no idea how poorly she would be. Like many others, we had to postpone our wedding and reschedule holidays.

“I was also doing my grandparents’ shopping and leaving it at their door, but sadly my granny died in September 2020 and it was really hard because the family hadn’t been able to see her properly.

“So many people experienced so many hard and horrible things but I’ve tried to take some positives from it."

PC Stewart's work led to her winning the Catherine Pawlikow Memorial Award for extraordinary public service at the Force’s annual Pride in Policing ceremony.

Chief Constable Winton Keenen was on hand to present PC Stewart with the award on the night.

He said: “When you join the police, as an officer, staff member or volunteer, you have a real opportunity to make a difference in the community and Amii has certainly achieved that as a result of her work as part of the regional Covid campaign.

“She should be extremely proud of the role she has played, in what has been, a fantastic effort to help protect the community during the pandemic.

“She is an inspiration to her colleagues and anyone considering a career in policing – and I was delighted to present her with the award at our Pride in Policing event.”