2024 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS
REGIONAL WINNER 7
North Wales Police
PC Rob Burgess, PC Rachael Roberts, PC Dion Hughes, PC Rob Williamson and PS Dylan Thomas with Chief Constable Gavin Stephens QPM, Chair of the NPCC
PS Dylan Thomas, PC Rachael Roberts, PC Rob Burgess, PC Dion Hughes, and PC Rob Williamson
and vulnerable”.
The team of unarmed officers faced an aggressive man with a loaded gun, who was putting his vulnerable mother’s life at risk. A 999 call was received from a distressed female reporting an ongoing verbal argument with her adult son, Bobby Lee Hughes, at their home address in Holyhead. During the 999 call, the woman described how her son had experienced a “massive blow-out”. Not long after, Hughes’ sister also
contacted Cheshire Police to report the same concerns for her brother, who was also causing damage within the house. She was on the phone with her mother at the time the events were unfolding, and reported being very concerned for her mother whom she described as “disabled
PS Dylan Thomas, PC Rachael Roberts, PC Rob Burgess, PC Dion Hughes, and PC Rob Williamson were sent to the house, after being informed by the Force Control Centre there had been a mention of a gun during the 999 call. Hughes’ mother told officers her son was inside and was highly aggressive. Almost immediately, Hughes was shouting at them to back off as he had a gun. PS Thomas soon found himself looking down the barrel of a rifle, aimed directly towards him by Hughes who stood at the top of the stairs.
The officers, who were in his line of sight, deemed the threat of violence to be extremely high and so PS Thomas, PC Roberts and PC Hughes all deployed their Tasers simultaneously. The Taser discharge was part effective causing Hughes to fall onto his front, resulting in the rifle falling
down the stairs. Hughes managed to crawl and return to his bedroom which was located directly on the right upon ascending the stairs. Unaware at the time he was no longer in possession of the firearm, PC Hughes repeatedly commanded Hughes to drop the gun and come out from where he was hiding. Suddenly, he appeared directly in front of the officers. PC Williamson entered the bedroom with his colleagues where he was detained, arrested, and subsequently charged with possession of an air rifle with intent to cause fear of violence. Firearms officers examined the rifle and
noted it had been cocked ready for use and there was a pellet within the chamber which was ready to be fired. PC Williamson said: “Our thoughts
were to secure the dangerous individual. Any other officer would have done the same thing.”
21 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2024
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