POLICING of the highest calibre and acts of bravery by members of the public have all been rewarded at The Borough Commander's Awards at Denham Grove Hotel on Friday.

Dozens of awards were handed out to officers who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Joining them were a handful of members of the public, young and old, who had astounded police officers of the highest rank with their brave actions.

Hillingdon Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Carl Bussey, said: "It is good to have members of the public involved, it is good to be able to say thank you to them. We rely on the support of the community. Without them we may as well give up and go home.

"I'm really pleased with the cross section of the policing family that are here. It is not easy to select who to hand out the awards to; there is a lot of high-calibre police work to choose from.

"We have had a chaotic year. Burglary and other aspects we have been a bit challenged on.

"We are not going to be getting any more resources and we are therefore going to have to be smarter with the resources we do have."

A SPECIAL police officer who 'can't get enough of policing' was presented with an award for his heroism in apprehending yobs who commited a violent attack.

SPC Raja Azam, who is based in the communications team at Hayes police station in Station Road, suddenly found himself on the spot when picking up a late night takeaway last November.

It was 11.30pm when he noticed three yobs throw a bottle at a young couple walking past the Hounslow restaurant where he was making the pick-up.

Words were exchanged and the thugs then set a vicious dog on the couple, resulting in serious injuries.

With no other police on scene, Mr Azam was left to his own devices.

He set off in hot pursuit of the culprits, and when fellow officers arrived they were able to make arrests thanks to his help.

He said: "I think my actions helped bring them to justice. I've always enjoyed policing. The injuries in this attack were horrible, and the dog has now been seized."

POLICE officers are not alone in fighting crime - without highly trained police dogs their work would not be as quick or effective, and the canines get their moment in the spotlight too.

This astounding dog was presented with an award after his know-how resulted in burglars being caught red handed.

Zinzan was honoured along with PC Peter Sturgess, PC Christopher Hpa, PC Matthew Parker, PC Charlotte Brand, PC Daniel Revill, PC Luke Rustad and PC Timothy Vollrath, who tackled and arrested four burglars.

The officers were in an unmarked van in Hobart Drive, Hayes, earlier this year when they heard glass smashing and saw a man jumping over fences, heading towards Maple Close.

The team swung into action, searching along the row of houses, and it was then that Zinzan's instincts, training and sense of smell took over. He indicated that something was wrong at one particular house, prompting the officers to enter and make a thorough search.

Sure enough, on gaining entry they discovered one of the burglars hiding in a cupboard, and were able to obtain crucial forensic evidence.

The arrest turned out to be even more significant as the man was already wanted by police in connection with offences of rape, armed robbery and drug-dealing.

A YOUNG boy who saved three lives in a fire was commended for his quick actions and bravery.

Dhanesh Patel, 13, was presented with a special award after his actions following a fire on Uxbridge Road, Hayes, in October.

The fire quickly spread from the restaurant below, endangering those in the flats above.

Dhanesh ran to get a ladder to help three men down from the flats who were preparing to jump, and then called the emergency services.

Since then, he has appeared in the Gazette, on radio and on ITV London News, and now he has special commendation to go with it.

IT WAS like a script from the television action series 24 on New Year's Day, when Hartland Drive, Ruislip, became a shooting gallery.

After hearing a domestic disturbance, Roger Cummings saw a man slashing car tyres in the road and called police.

They arrived to find themselves staring down the barrel of a rifle, pointed by man who had lost control.

The man's wife had fled, and Mr Cummings gave her refuge in his home. They were soon to have company.

The man started firing shots at the police van, smashing its windows. Mr Cummings quickly let the officers, forced to retreat, into his house.

Soon his house became the target and the gunman fired shots at the window from which Mr Cummings was watching.

Events came to a head when the gunman fired the air rifle towards himself before collapsing. Before any officers could move, Mr Cummings ran out into the road to disarm the man.

Mr Cummings was presented with an award for 'displaying remarkable personal courage when faced with apprehending a man who was armed.'

Afterwards, he modestly said: "I'm not a hero - anybody else in the same situation would have done what I did."

OFFICERS who rushed to the aid of a badly injured woman have been honoured after their quick-thinking saved her life.

Valerie Dancer, 63, was attacked in a subway near Carlyon Road, Yeading, last November, and police were quickly dispatched to the scene.

When PC David Brown, PC Michelle Maddison and PC Damian Goddard arrived, they discovered the robbery victim unconscious and struggling to breathe.

They applied pressure to her

wounds with a dressing and kept her warm, while at the same time taking steps to 'preserve' the crime scene - keeping it free of contamination so forensics officers would have a better chance of finding evidence.

When Mrs Dancer was taken by air ambulance to hospital, medics said that if it had not been for the officers' first aid she would have probably bled to death.

Valerie Dancer still suffers the effects of the attack. Her attacker has not been caught.