CHARITY ‘I DON’T FEEL LONELY ANYMORE’
Former PC Amanda Davidson will be taking part in the London Marathon in a wheelchair to raise money for Support Dogs. By Nicola Tait
career that she wanted to pursue from the age of two. Often, she would escape from the family garden and visit the local police station to sit with the officers. They would give her Smarties until her mum came to get her. After finishing her training, Amanda was posted to Southwark. “Being in central London was a bit of a shock to the system, although I absolutely loved it. But the trouble is, I kept on getting myself into trouble,” she recalled. “One particular incident was that of an armed robbery where 20 shots were fired at police in Southwark.” She was the operator on the area car and they joined the chase. When they arrived at the scene, three people jumped out of a vehicle and Amanda ran after them: “I ended up trying to subdue a 6’6” guy who was armed with a derringer pistol, which is one of those little dinky things you see in Westerns – it only holds one shot, but at close range it can be fatal.”
Another offender was hiding in a bush
More than 40,000 participants will be taking to the streets in the London Marathon on 23 April. Amanda Davidson will aim to complete the gruelling 26.2-mile route in a wheelchair for Support Dogs, a
48 | POLICE | APRIL 2023
small charity that focuses on training dogs to support those with disabilities, epilepsy, autism, and other conditions. In 1988, Amanda joined the Metropolitan Police Service when she was 19. It was a
trying to shoot her. While she wrestled the man with the derringer pistol, she injured her shoulder. A colleague arrested the offender in the bush before anyone was shot. After this incident, Amanda was recognised and awarded with a Commissioner Commendation and received a special commendation from an Old Bailey judge. “My gran told me if I wasn’t careful, I could end up in a wheelchair. I should really have listened because about five months later, I went to a domestic where
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