National Community Engagement Awards 2026

We are pleased to announce that nominations for the National Community Engagement Awards 2026 are now open, and you have until 10:00 am on 12th January to get your nominations in!

In recognition of the tremendous work police officers and staff undertake to protect us and make our communities safer, we have launched our new national awards, with award winners being invited to attend as VIPs to our National Community Engagement Conference, taking place on 3rd and 4th March 2026 in Hull.

As a UK business, we remain truly honoured to work with all our clients over the past 18 years, but we believe we must make time to recognise community engagement champions.

Mike Douglas, founder and Product Director of VISAV, said,

“It is an absolute honour and privilege to work with our police forces, and even after two decades, I am still amazed at the commitment and tenacity of officers who go into the unknown and put their lives at risk and still go above and beyond. These new awards are for unsung heroes who may not be undertaking headline-grabbing actions but who consistently put communities at the heart of everything they do.

We know that quality of life and feeling safe in their homes matters to our registered members as they tell us through the survey tool. Low-level but high-frequency crime and ASB plagues communities and can sometimes be more challenging to police and their partners. These awards are for the officers, staff and volunteers who go the extra mile to build public trust and confidence and tackle community tensions and problems in a practical and empathic way.”

Kate Algate, Strategic Director at VISAV, who is managing the new awards, urges police officers, staff and volunteers to step forward and either nominate themselves or their colleagues to raise awareness of the good work they do, and to take a moment to reflect and recognise how their work positively impacts the communities they serve.

Award Categories

VISAV Special Awards

These will be chosen by VISAV using data held on Neighbourhood Alert, with award winners being informed on 16th January, ensuring the best chance they can attend the award ceremony on 3rd March 2026 in Hull.

There will be three VISAV Special Awards, comprising:

  • 'Best Force', as voted by the public via the 2025 national survey results.
  • Most Proactive Neighbourhood Watch Membership Support Administrator (MSA) for 2025.
  • Most Proactive team for reaching seldom heard communities (based on targeted engagement outputs).

National Awards

  • Delivery and measuring the impact of the most effective crime prevention campaign.
  • Biggest effect on reducing crime (e.g. Clear, Hold, Build, Problem Solving, Hot Spot Policing, etc.).
  • Best use of Neighbourhood Alert for community intelligence/arrests.
  • Communicator of the year (for example, within corporate communications, Neighbourhood Watch, or Neighbourhood Policing).

How to enter:

VISAV Special Awards

Police forces and Neighbourhood Watch MSAs do not need to do anything to be entered into the VISAV Special Awards, as we will analyse the data already available on the database.

More information on how the awards are calculated will be available in due course for transparency and fairness.

Finalists will be contacted on or as close to 16th January 2026 as possible and will have until 7th February to confirm their attendance at the award ceremony.

National awards

All police forces, Office for Police and Crime Commissioners and Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators and schemes are eligible to either self-nominate (whether they are themselves or their team) or nominate a different person or team. There is no restriction on how many awards you can enter.

All nominations need to be sent to Kate@visav.co.uk by 10:00 on 12th January 2026 and include the following in a Word document:

  • Name of individual/team being nominated
  • Name of nominator (if different)
  • Contact details, including email address and telephone number for main contact
  • Organisation name (and department, if relevant)
  • Category of award entered
  • Please describe what you (or the person or team nominated) have achieved in relation to the award category, who was involved with the delivery of the intervention, and what was the aim? [no more than 300 words]
  • Showcase what impact you/the nominee has had, and how you know the interventions/campaigns have had a positive impact? [no more than 300 words]
  • How did Neighbourhood Alert help enable/facilitate achieving your/their outcomes? [no more than 300 words]
  • If what was done were to be repeated, is there anything you/the nominee would do differently? [no more than 200 words]

Why should you enter?

You will be our VIPS for the National Community Engagement Awards, hosted on a VIP table, which includes an enhanced drinks package, seated with prestigious guests, and served first at the celebratory event, to be held on Tuesday, 3rd March at the Hilton Hotel in Hull.

We will cover travel and accommodation (see T&Cs), and you will be presented with an award by special guests. You will also be able to attend the two-day conference (co-hosted by Humberside Police and OPCC) and network with colleagues across the UK. You will take home a certificate and an award back to your organisation, and your success will be promoted across our media channels.

Terms and Conditions:

  • By entering these awards, you agree to VISAV sharing your achievements within their corporate literature and with other forces and partners as good practice.
  • No contact details will be shared publicly, but the work you have done will be available as case studies on publicly available websites and media channels.
  • Fully funded standard travel and accommodation will be available for award winners at the conference/awards (up to two people, sharing one room for individual awards and up to four people sharing two rooms for group awards, for a maximum of two nights, with the ability for more to attend but cover their own travel/accommodation), with a cut glass trophy and/or wall plaque. Photo and media opportunities. VIP table for the awards, including an upgraded drinks package. Rooms are available for single, double, or twin occupancy.
  • Nominated people would need approval from their home force regarding the relevant policies on bribery and gifts.
  • If you have been selected as an award winner, you will have until 2nd February to confirm your attendance at the event.
  • Any nominations which are submitted after 10:00 on 12th January 2026 may not be accepted.
  • VISAV Ltd have the right to change any of these T&Cs at any stage; their decision is final.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Kate@visav.co.uk.

Good Luck!