A Bristol PCSO has been honoured by Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Chief Constable for her remarkable contribution to Equine Welfare.

PSCO Paula Perry was among a number of Police Officers who were celebrated at a special awards ceremony at Merchants Hall, Clifton.

Paula works as the local PCSO in the Lawrence Weston area of Bristol, and over the past year or so, she has tackled the local issue of fly grazing by the travelling community. As a result of this work she has reduced the number of fly-grazed horses dramatically, built a fantastic relationship with the local travelling community, animal welfare charities such as HorseWorld and other businesses and agencies affected by the issue of fly grazing.

“We are delighted that Paula has achieved this award,” said HorseWorld’s Managing Director, Mark Owen. “Her work has made a huge difference to improving Equine welfare in our area. She has undoubtedly saved the lives of hundreds of horses and has kept fly grazing numbers down over a prolonged period showing that her work is having a lasting effect.”

Paula said: “It’s a real honour to be the first PCSO to win this award. The most important part for me was making sure that we were able to apply the law to ensure that horses were safe and I worked very hard to build relationships with local animal charities and the council. Building trust within the travelling community wasn’t easy and now we have a very good working relationship.”