Female enforcement officer who chased down four suspects as they mugged pensioner commended

 
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A litter enforcement officer who chased and tackled four suspects after they tried to mug an old lady has won an award for courage.

Jenna White, 26, single handedly took on the four - two men and two women - as they tried to grab the pensioner’s handbag in Edmonton Green shopping centre.

Ms White called police on her radio as she ran after the group and she grabbed two of the suspects while police officers tackled the remaining two.

Employed as a litter enforcement officer for Enfield Council she said : “Instinct took over and I just took off after them. I shouted at them to stop and they all ran off together.

“I caught up with two of them and grabbed them and brought them back. It was a natural reaction but a bit out of the ordinary.

“I normally get to stop people dropping their chicken boxes on the floor.”

Ms White won the ‘courage award’ at the London Leadership and Peace awards held to celebrate Londoners judged to be “community champions.”

Backed by Boris Johnson and hosted by singer Sinitta and Tory peer Baroness Berridge, the awards included six winners from dozens of people and groups nominated by Londoners.

Other winners included Joshua Bopu, 18, who won the “Turn Around” honour after rejecting a criminal lifestyle which saw him jailed for 18 months for a serious gang- related offence.

Joshua, now in college and working as a part-time model, said: “I was doing bad things but I was immature then and I looked at my life and decided to change. I learned from my mistakes and I have paid my debt.”

London Citizens, a group which organises 600 ‘safe havens’ in local shops and businesses in London for bullied youngsters, won a “corporate leadership” award and the St. Giles Trust, which helps 500 young people exit gangs each year, won a “corporate peace” prize at the City Hall event.

City entrepreneur Prem Goyal was awarded the ‘community spirit’ award for helping “London’s most vulnerable” and charity chairman Gary Walker won the “benelovent award.”

Organiser Tottenham pastor the Rev Nims Obunge said: “These awards are celebrating some of the people whose contributions make this city tick. We are quick to talk about what is wrong in society, all these nominations are for people doing good things.”

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