A wildlife specialist and "animal hero" has won an award for his police work in North Yorkshire.

Since 2018, Geoff Edmond splits his time between working as an RSPCA inspector, being the charity’s national wildlife co-ordinator and being a police support volunteer.

Now he has been given a prestigious Lord Ferrers Award, the first ever won by North Yorkshire Police.

The annual national awards recognise outstanding contributions to volunteering in policing.

In a Facebook post, the force said: “Congratulations to our animal hero volunteer Geoff!"

It added: “Geoff is not a man who lives by a clock, he is always there to support our Rural Taskforce any time of day or night. He will always answer the phone and provide advice which has proven invaluable in helping us deal with many. wildlife crime incidents.

“Geoff has been integral in delivering training to our Wildlife crime officers and colleagues from West Yorkshire Police, sharing his extensive knowledge to help us better protect our county’s wildlife and bring offenders who harm it to justice.

“Geoff is well known and highly respected for his boundless energy and enthusiasm. In partnership with ourselves, Humberside Police and many others, Geoff developed Op Seabird – an initiative to reduce wildlife crime incidents on our coastline.

“His contributions both personally and to policing as a whole are endless and this award is extremely well-deserved.

“A huge well done and thank you to Geoff!”