TWO police officers are to receive a top award for their work improving relations with the young Asian community.

Sergeant Tom Maudsley, 48, and Constable Paul Goodall, 32, will receive the George Herbert Redman Award from Lancashire's Chief Constable Pauline Clare.

The award is given annually to officers who have fostered better community relationships and increased the public's understanding of how the force operates.

The two are members of Blackburn's Ethnic Minority Liaison Department which helps foster good relations with the Asian community.

Last summer, they helped run two football leagues for hundreds of primary and secondary school children.

During 1996, they also took a party of youths to an Islamic festival where they had to camp out for three days and took another group to the Islamic Games in Birmingham. A number of other officers will also receive awards at the ceremony, including Lesley Penswick, stationed at Rawtenstall, and John Treacy, based at Chipping.

Lesley, 32, has been a full-time domestic violence liaison officer in Rawtenstall for around 18 months and is a founder member of the Rossendale Domestic Violence Forum.

She was praised for consistenly displaying a "caring and sensitive attitude" in her work dealing with victims of domestic violence.

John Treacy has been the rural beat officer at Chipping for five years and is so popular that residents of neighbouring Ribble Valley villages asked at a recent police forum whether they could have "officers like John" in their areas.

At 48, he still finds time to play football and cricket for Chipping and has twice been Footballer of the Year!

He is also a member of the local amateur dramatic society and is now involved with fund-raising efforts to build a new village hall.

The awards will be presented at Police Headquarters in Hutton on Friday, December 12.

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