Kent Police’s ‘Op Engage’ wins the British APCO Innovation Award at the 2026 Control Room Awards
Rebecca Eldridge and Nicola De Waall of Kent Police have won the British APCO Innovation Award 2026 for Op Engage, a pioneering initiative that uses existing control room technology and data to identify and manage repeat, nuisance, hoax and vulnerability-related calls to 999 and 101.
The award was presented last night, Thursday 9th July, at the 2026 Control Room Awards; the only accolades dedicated to the unsung heroes working behind the scenes in police, fire, ambulance and coastguard control rooms. The standard of entries across every category was exceptional this year, and in the British APCO category the judges chose to recognise not only a winner but also a Highly Commended entry; they also singled out one of the shortlisted submissions.
Working as a team of just two, Rebecca and Nicola manage around 400 individuals, prevent approximately 2,000 unnecessary incident records every month, and save roughly 600 contact-handling hours a month — keeping emergency and non-emergency lines free for the people who genuinely need them. Op Engage protects control room staff, safeguards vulnerable people and reduces unnecessary demand, and the team’s learning and operating model have been shared with forces and partners, influencing policing practice well beyond Kent.
The judges praised Op Engage as a scalable and ethical approach to one of the most significant challenges facing police control rooms, describing the team as setting the national standard through outstanding commitment, leadership and innovation.
Highly Commended: TITEN, East of England Ambulance Service
The judges named Lucie Neeve, Dean Nock and Keri Drury of East of England Ambulance Service as Highly Commended for TITEN, a neuroscience-informed trauma exposure training framework for emergency control room staff.
TITEN gives teams practical, real-time techniques to understand and manage trauma responses, helping staff stay focused and composed during and after high-pressure calls. It shifts trauma support from a reactive wellbeing model to a proactive, operationally embedded approach — built with staff input and designed to work without disrupting live control room activity — helping callers receive calm, clear and compassionate support at the moments that matter most.
Also shortlisted
The third shortlisted entry came from Inspector Matt Lilley of Humberside Police, whose leadership of Rapid Video Response for domestic abuse gives victims immediate access to an officer, improving early evidence capture, safeguarding and outcomes. The model now handles around 335 incidents a month, covers over a fifth of the force’s domestic abuse demand and achieves victim satisfaction in the mid-90%, earning exemplary independent reviews.
British APCO has expressed the hope that all three award submissions will feature in forthcoming editions of the BAPCO Journal — a reflection of the outstanding innovation underpinning every one of them.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
For more information about British APCO and the Innovation Award, please contact us:
+44 (0) 3303 327173
support@bapco.org.uk
About the Control Room Awards
The Control Room Awards recognise the professionalism, dedication and compassion of control room professionals across the UK and beyond.
The Awards were held on Thursday 9th July 2026 in Hull.
For more information, visit www.controlroomawards.com
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