Nominations for Penrith Police Officer of the Year 2010 are now open and nomination forms can be filled out at Penrith police station and Westfield Penrith.

One person who is encouraging the community to become involved is Sergeant David Watson, who won the honour last year.

He received several votes from members of the community, all of which were in praise of his commitment, professionalism and a demonstrable care factor in customer service and victim support.

Most notably, he was nominated for catching an offender breaking into a house.

He was happy to receive the accolade before marking 20 years of service on the streets this April.

``It's recognition of not just my work but all police officers,'' he said.

``It maintains enthusiasm, even though you know you are giving it your all.

``I think it needs to be done in all local area commands.''

Sergeant Watson said benefits of winning the award included more trust and open communication from the public, who became more willing to pass on information that could help police solve crimes.

``The public are a big help,'' he said. ``Often there are things that have happened and we can't take it to the next step unless we have information from them.''