Last week I was delighted to be invited to present an award at the Police Federation’s National Police Bravery Awards, held in London and attended by hundreds from forces across Britain. I presented the North East award to Constables Vicky Threadgold and Gary Sharpe, who confronted a man waving a samurai sword before he pulled a gun on them.

I also had the privilege of meeting Charlie Guenigault, who last year faced down the London Bridge terrorists whilst off-duty.

The bravery shown not just by them but by all those who were nominated for or won awards last night shows the best of our police, and despite their current struggle for resources we are lucky to have professional and well-trained officers and staff working to keep our communities safe.

I’ll keep fighting to ensure the police get the resources and powers they need to tackle the rise in violent crime, and for 10,000 new neighbourhood officers to help take the pressure off.

If you’d like to watch the awards ceremony you can find it here.