POLICE FEDERATION BRAVERY AWARDS 2026


DORSET Two Dorset Police officers are being praised for their extraordinary bravery after preventing a distressed man from falling from a railway bridge in the early hours. Shortly after midnight, Dorset County Hospital reported


a man in mental health crisis had left the building after expressing suicidal thoughts. Checks revealed he had previously attempted to take his own life, prompting an urgent search. At around 2am, two officers in the Western Armed Response Vehicle were flagged down on Weymouth Avenue by a passerby who had seen a man sitting on the wrong side of a railway bridge. Moments later, the officers found him perched on a narrow ledge with his feet hanging over the seven-metre drop onto the tracks below. Although no passenger trains run at that hour, the line is used by overnight freight services. PC A began speaking with him calmly while PC B stayed close by. Without warning, the man pushed himself forward in an attempt to fall. PC B reacted instantly, grabbing him as he dropped, with PC A joining within seconds. With no safe footing and no way to pull him back, the officers held his full weight for more than 10 minutes until additional units arrived and helped lift him to safety. He was assessed by paramedics and taken to a place of safety for further care.


DYFED POWYS PC Spencer Rourke swam into the sea at midnight to save a woman heard calling for help off the coast of Milford Haven. Police received a call from a distressed woman on Hamilton Terrace who said she intended to jump into the sea. Officers were immediately dispatched, but initial searches of the


area proved negative. A further update suggested she was near Foam beach, yet again no one was found. PC Rourke parked at the rear of Foam and, in the quiet of


the early hours, heard a faint cry coming from the slipway. He and PS Anthony followed the sound and soon located the woman far out at sea, clearly in distress. PC Rourke removed his kit, grabbed a lifesaving float and


entered the water. Despite the woman attempting to move away, he reached her quickly, secured her and began the difficult swim back to shore. Colleagues helped both from the water. The woman survived thanks entirely to PC Rourke’s swift, selfless and decisive actions.


DURHAM


PCs Andrew Docherty and Josh Laddie were on routine patrol when they encountered a serious incident unfolding in the road ahead. Two men ran into the street and began fighting, falling to the ground as the officers approached. It quickly became clear that both were armed with metallic weapons, and one was repeatedly stabbing the other in the chest and abdomen with a large kitchen knife. Without hesitation, the officers left their vehicle and ran towards the men. Recognising the immediate threat to life, they drew their Tasers. PC Laddie intervened at close quarters, physically pulling the pair apart and placing himself directly in harm’s way. As the attacker attempted to flee still armed with the knife, PC Docherty deployed his Taser, safely detaining him. The victim sustained stab wounds to his chest and back - injuries that could easily have been fatal without the officers’ rapid intervention. Confronted with an armed and highly dangerous situation, both officers acted instantly and decisively, preventing further harm and bringing the incident under control within moments.


ESSEX


PC Robert Bradbrook, PC B, PC Charlotte Mixter and PC Charlie Jones saved two young children during a violent incident that could easily have ended in tragedy.


The incident began on 22 November 2024 when Essex Police received multiple calls from friends and relatives of a woman who had sent photographs showing significant bruising. Another caller described the suspect’s behaviour as “unhinged”,


15 | POLICE | JUNE | 2026


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