MODEST bobby Dave White was named as North Yorkshire's Community Police Officer of the Year - and promptly went back to work.

The officer, based in Acomb, York, beat others from across the county to take the title at an awards ceremony in York's Merchant Adventurer's Hall.

But yesterday it was back to work as usual for the officer, who described himself as "completely overwhelmed".

He said: "I just do my job and it's everyday work to me. I did not expect to win this award at all, particularly when there are so many other officers who have done such great things in their own communities."

PC White, who has won praise for his role as an officer specially trained to deal with domestic violence, was nominated for his general police work in York's west side, where he has been behind a string of initiatives and has strong relations with the community.

He will go to the national competition finals, in London in November, where the winner will receive a £3,000 prize for a bursary overseas to study community policing.

The awards event, sponsored by rail firm GNER, saw eight district winners from across the force's area receive their awards from Chief Constable David Kenworthy, who said: "We are quite good at rewarding bravery, but community work quite often gets overlooked."

He praised these "exceptional officers who have given selfless service to their communities" and "very often go far beyond what is expected of them".