Behind the neighbourhood nomination: Dan Nash

During this Neighbourhood Policing Week of Action we are recognising and celebrating the vital role neighbourhood policing plays in keeping communities safe, connected and supported. 

Throughout the week, we will be highlighting colleagues from across neighbourhood policing who have recently been nominated for the Outstanding Policing Awards. These annual awards recognise the exceptional commitment, professionalism and dedication shown by our police officers, staff, special constables and volunteers.  

Dan Nash 

When PC Dan Nash talks about policing, he won’t refer to being courageous. He starts with how he “sort of stumbled into it” as an 18‑year‑old admin apprentice in the Major Crime Investigation team. That first step wasn’t part of a lifelong plan, just a chance to find out what policing was really like. 

“I got really lucky,” he says. “I worked in a major crime team and I really enjoyed it.” 

By 20, he was signing up as a police officer, and he’s never looked back. Three years on patrol, five years in neighbourhood policing in Southmead, each shift shaping who he is as much as the people he serves. 

Ask Dan how it feels to be nominated for an Outstanding Policing Award in the ‘Representing Our Values’ category and he hesitates, almost apologetically. 

“It’s quite nice,” he admits. “Everyone works really hard, my team included, so it’s good to have a bit of recognition.” 

Dan and his colleague, PC Archer demonstrated remarkable bravery, sound judgement and deep compassion when they saved the life of a vulnerable man while placing themselves at significant personal risk. 

But he didn’t walk away from that incident thinking he’d done anything award‑worthy. Far from it. In the moment there was just instinct, urgency, and concern, first for the man who needed help, and then, when the adrenalin ebbed, for his teammate. 

“I think it was all a little bit of a blur. It took a little while to sort of sink in. It was probably quite a stressful situation, but you didn’t feel it at the time”. 

“We were more worried about him, and then making sure my colleague was all right.” he says. “You don’t really feel the stress at the time. It hits afterwards.” 

The incident changed him. It hasn’t made him fearful. Just more thoughtful, more grounded. 

“I think it sharpens you up a little,” he says. “It’s easy to get blasé when you arrest someone. But things can go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye. It makes you more aware of the risks, especially when people are in a vulnerable or dark place.” 

Dan grew up in Bristol, and you can hear the pride in his voice when he talks about serving the place that shaped him. 

“It’s a privilege,” he says simply. 

He loves neighbourhood policing and the time it gives him to work on the deeper, persistent issues that affect people’s everyday lives. 

“You get to really sink your teeth into something, not just go job to job. You can make a real difference.” 

He still loves the buzz of patrol work too, but neighbourhood policing has given him a sense of purpose that feels personal. 

For all the stress, for all the tough days, Dan talks about policing with genuine warmth. 

“It’s exciting, it’s rewarding. You really can improve people’s lives,” he says. “Like any job, there are good days and bad days, but I absolutely love it.” 

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