A weekly newspaper reporter has scooped a community award for his efforts to make his local patch a safer place through responsible reporting.

Not Another Drop (NAD), an anti-knife and gun crime initiative backed by the police and local councils, praised the Willesden and Brent Times’ Alex Wellman for his “fair and accurate coverage of violent crime and the work of the community to eradicate the issue.”

In 2003, Brent was dubbed the UK’s capital of gun crime after a number of high-profile murders including seven-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield in Kensal Green.

As well as covering NAD events for the Times’ series such as the annual Peace March, Alex has worked behind the scenes with a string of agencies to maintain good relations between the press and community groups.

Times’ editor Tim Cole said: “Our newspapers have long been at the forefront of the campaign against gun crime and keen backers of the annual Peace March.

“Alex has made a major contribution with his work, going beyond what would normally be expected of any reporter in order to give Not Another Drop as much support as possible.

“Everyone at the paper is proud of his work and the fact that it has been recognised with his well-deserved award.”