A DEDICATED PCSO from Stourbridge has been reunited with his loved ones after three months of isolating from his family to help keep them safe from coronavirus.

Police community support officer William Till moved out of his home at the start of April to help protect his son Alfie, aged seven, from the virus as the youngster has been shielding following surgery to remove growths on his brain caused by mastoiditis - a bacterial infection.

PCSO Till knew he could not risk potentially bringing Covid-19 back home so he made the heart-wrenching decision to move out and live alone in a nearby flat so he could continue policing his Wolverhampton city centre patch.

But with the easing of shielding restrictions, he has now been able to return home and hug his family.

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He said: “It’s amazing to be back home. I had a few days off for lots of cuddles and family time."

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Sean Corrigan said of PCSO Till’s dedication: “What Will has done over the last 15 weeks is testament to his community spirit and dedication to policing.

“He paid for a room in a nearby house and restricted contact with his family through a patio door in order to continue working and ensuring he didn’t pose a virus risk to his wife and children.

“That’s an incredible sacrifice. He truly is an unsung hero of West Midlands Police."

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PCSO Till, aged 42, who was a teaching assistant before joining the police force two years ago, said moving away from his family during the pandemic was "one of the hardest decisions" he had ever had to make.

He said: "I popped over for regular chats through the patio door but of course it all had to be socially distanced with no physical contact.

“Watching my children cry when I had to say goodbye was heart-breaking, not being able to hold them, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

“I wanted to keep working as part of the team. It was for times like these where communities need our support that I joined the police and accepted I had to sacrifice contact with my wife and children."

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Since lockdown, the 42-year-old has been on the beat in key city locations including the hospital and food banks educating people about the coronavirus crisis and encouraging them to adhere to social distancing rules.

But with conditions gradually returning to a new normal, he is now getting back into his routine as a link officer to Wolverhampton University and working with retailers.