Probation officer Bernie Keyte was shortlisted for this year's prestigious national Probation Awards for his work on a DVD about the perils of drugs.

Bernie, who works for Hertfordshire Probation Trust in Hatfield and Stevenage, was nominated for the Innovation prize, after making a DVD showing interviews with three men who were led into a life of crime by taking drugs.

As one of two hundred nominees, he attended the black tie awards ceremony on 14 September in Crew, together with Hertfordshire Probation Chief Executive Tessa Webb and Board Chair Delbert Sandiford.

Organised by NOMS, the National Offender Management Service, the Probation Awards are now in their third year and are designed to recognise the work done by 20,000 probation staff across England and Wales to change offenders' lives and thereby prevent further victims.

Bernie said: "Even though I didn't win, it was a really nice evening. I felt proud to represent Hertfordshire Probation and to meet colleagues from across the country that have excelled in different fields. All of them have gone the extra mile and worked extra hours in trying to do good work with offenders that generally goes unnoticed by the general public."

Tessa said: "I felt very proud of Bernie, as I do of all my staff. The DVD Bernie produced is an excellent piece of work that has already been very well received by local magistrates and our partners in reducing reoffending, and it's just one example of the passionate commitment shown by probation staff in helping offenders to turn their lives around."

The DVD, called Learning the hard way...., was first screened in front of magistrates and police officers at Hertfordshire Probation Trust's Offender Achievement Awards, held in Stevenage, in March, and has since been used for training and open day events.

Now Bernie is working on supporting material to create a complete package that can be used by schools and other organisations wishing to spread the word to young people about how taking drugs can easily lead to committing crime and ruining family life.

To view Learning the hard way... visit Hertfordshire Probation Trust's YouTube page.