2023 BRAVERY NOMINATIONS


AVON AND SOMERSET A courageous police officer, with no protective equipment, ran into a burning block of flats and helped save two men hanging from their window on the 16th floor. PC Justin Robbie was first on the scene and knew he had to act fast to help evacuate the occupants of the flats, who could be heard shouting for help. Flames were coming out of the window on the 16th floor,


and PC Robbie went into the building to evacuate residents and establish the exact location of the fire, so he could formulate a plan. Upon hearing screams for help from two men hanging from the outside their flat window, PC Robbie looked out of the hallway window and saw large flames billowing out from their flat as they were holding on. Below them was a steep drop and they had nowhere else to go. Had they fallen, they would have died.


PC Robbie was joined by a fire officer, and they used bolt croppers to remove a grate that was covering a window on the landing on the floor below. The window was made of several reinforced glass panes, which PC Robbie had to first smash using his baton, so the fire officer could kick out the rest of the glass and pull the men down to safety.


BEDFORDSHIRE A detective sergeant made heroic attempts to save a suspect’s life and, in turn, he suffered life-changing burn injuries. The detective sergeant, who wishes to remain


anonymous, was leading a team of four officers attempting to arrest an individual suspected of committing three arson offences over the previous 24 hours. At the individual’s home, which was on the top floor of


a block of flats, the officer and his arrest team managed to engage with the occupant through the front door, without it being opened. It soon became apparent the individual had lit a fire within the premises, as smoke was escaping from the letterbox.


Without hesitation, the detective sergeant requested one of his colleagues break down the front door and enter the property, only to be confronted with a pile of burning cardboard boxes. As the officer attempted to extinguish the fire, the individual retreated further into his property before fatally falling from the balcony. The fire within the flat intensified at speed and was


soon burning floor-to-ceiling, suggesting the use of an accelerant. The hallway was filled with flames, which blocked the only


exit from the flat. In his efforts to escape he was engulfed in flames and emerged, to the horror of his colleagues overwhelmed by the fire. Despite the severity of his condition and pain he was in, he ran door-to-door to raise the alarm for the other residents, doubtlessly saving further lives.


The officer is still receiving specialised burns treatment, including numerous operations and skin grafts.


CAMBRIDGESHIRE Two detective constables rescued an inebriated woman from a burning car that had fallen into a deep roadside ditch. DCs Craig Trevor and Lily Deacon were wearing plain clothes while travelling in an unmarked vehicle on the A605 to deal with a detainee. This was when they witnessed the driver of a car, approaching from the opposite direction at 70-80mph lose control of the vehicle and fall into a roadside ditch that was 15 feet deep.


During the crash, the car flipped and caught fire. It was now resting precariously on the edge of the ditch, which opened into a 100-meter fall on the side of the motorway. The officers entered the ditch and found that the woman was alone and trapped in the driver’s seat. Pulling her to safety by the side of the motorway, the officers ensured there were no other injured occupants trapped in the engulfed car. The two officers placed themselves in harm’s way to save the driver.


CHESHIRE


An officer sergeant talked a young woman down from a roof of a building, which had a 30-foot drop onto a railway line. Assessing and quickly taking command of the situation, PS Steven Munday ensured road closures were put in place, along with a request for the railway line’s power to be switched off and trains stopped.


While identifying the safest possible way to try and encourage her to get down from the roof to a position of safety, PS Munday spotted a set of ladders in the beer garden of the building. At this point, PS Munday received information that she had slipped off the roof and was now hanging over the 30-foot drop above the railway line, holding onto the edge of the roof by her fingertips. Recognising the severity of the situation, he ran into the building and obtained the ladders. Without hesitation, he gained access to the top of the wall with the ladders, before walking along a narrow ledge with a sheer drop and gaining access to the flat roof. PS Munday grabbed hold of the now-hysterical young woman by her upper arms. Using his own strength and body weight, he pulled her back from over the edge of the roof. At any time, he could have fallen. She resisted and he grappled with her, but he managed to detain her safely on the narrow roof, which was approximately six feet wide, pulling her as far away from the edge as possible. Once she was safely detained, other officers and emergency services assisted and brought her down.


CLEVELAND Four officers faced a frenzied and sustained attack before arresting an intoxicated violent criminal. A call was received from a Middlesbrough hotel after midnight.


Loud bangs were reported to be coming from one of its rooms, with an intoxicated man shouting at a woman who was believed to be pregnant. PC Mark Insull and another colleague, who wishes to remain


unnamed, attended the scene and were told by the woman that the man had not assaulted her, but had damaged hotel furniture.


31 | POLICE | JUNE 2023


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