A CCTV operator for National Express West Midlands has received a top award after he helped to identify a bus vandal.

Garry Davies, who is based at the bus operator’s Pensnett garage, received the Business Impact Award at the company’s recent Values Awards ceremony following his "significant contribution and determination" in reviewing CCTV footage to drive down criminal activity on the bus network.

Following several reports of a male damaging bus seats and cameras last summer, Garry diligently reviewed hours of CCTV footage and managed to uncover a link with 12 incidents involving the same offender.

His determination and patience lead to the successful prosecution of the vandal, who had to pay £2,000 worth of damages and spend 19 hours cleaning as part of a restorative justice scheme.

Garry’s CCTV analytical skills also helped in the successful prosecution of a passenger who spat at a bus driver.

Inspector Rachel Crump of the Safer Travel Partnership, said: "We work closely with National Express West Midlands to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the bus network and CCTV has helped us achieve a 75 per cent success rate in identifying offenders.

"Thanks to Garry's determination, patience and tenacious approach to viewing hours of CCTV footage, he was able to uncover a link with 12 offences which helped us to identify and prosecute an offender."

Phil Bowen, operations manager at National Express West Midlands, added: “Garry is an excellent asset to the Pensnett team and his work is a fantastic service to our local community. He always goes the extra mile and is appreciated by the business, the Safer Travel team and the local policing community alike.”

Garry, who has been with the company since 2010, will now go forward to the National Express Group international final, where he’s up against colleagues from Spain, Morocco, Bahrain, North America, Germany and others from the UK.