2024 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS


Meanwhile, PC Gabbott searched the house twice to check if there were any other occupants inside who could be suffering from smoke inhalation.


The woman was breathing, but unresponsive as they continued to speak to her while they were joined by fire and rescue service personnel who provided first aid until ambulance staff arrived. Despite the risk, the officers re-entered the property to ensure no one else was inside and to ascertain the whereabouts of the woman’s children, ensuring everyone’s safety. The woman has since fully recovered.


SUFFOLK Special Constable Kyle Scott jumped into the treacherous North Sea to save an unresponsive woman. He was on patrol in Ipswich when the call came in of a high- risk missing person. The weather was cold and blustery with temperatures dipping down to -2C and the sea was dangerous and rough. Using his initiative, SC Scott headed to the sea front at


Felixstowe to cover the beach and sea when he saw the woman face down in the water.


Without a thought for his own safety, he jumped into the freezing sea and swam out to the woman who was unresponsive, before using all his strength to carry her against the crashing waves back to safety.


Fighting against the tide, he managed to get her to the water’s edge but was unable to get her further up a sand and shingle bank until he was helped by members of the public. Between them, they helped the woman to safety and provided first aid and tried to keep her warm until paramedics arrived.


SURREY


An off-duty officer displayed remarkable physical strength and courage to save the life of a drowning man, and, on top of that, controlling an escalating situation involving a drunk, unruly male. The acting police sergeant, who cannot be named for operational reasons, was enjoying time with her children and other families at Frensham Ponds. As they were preparing to leave, her children ran over stating a male was drowning. She rushed over to see a man struggling under a collapsed


inflatable boat in the sailing area. She immediately acted, swimming out more than 50 metres to find the male face down and not breathing. She swam back to shore carrying the man while delivering in water resuscitation. She managed to drag the man clear of the water, shouting for help, all the time trying to keep the children calm. She was then approached by a very drunk individual who initially assisted her in pulling the victim from the pond, but then proceeded to start vomiting into the lake and swearing in front of the children, causing them further distress. The man started fitting as she moved him into the recovery position. She was informed by the man’s partner who had appeared he had been drinking all day and was epileptic. With her children very distressed and with the intoxicated individual now exposing himself while shouting, other members


of the public appeared on the scene and further arguments started about his behaviour.


Leaving the rescued man with a friend who could now talk to the ambulance control, she again went into the water to take control of the drunk individual, ignoring the further possibility of injury to herself, and managed to escort him away towards the car park area from where others were shouting. Having now managed to divide all parties she then spoke to the paramedics. At this point, further arguments broke out and without any protective equipment she, with help from a member of the public, separated the individuals after identifying herself as a police officer. She tried to return to the children who were now even more distressed but was again called back as the drunk individual had now approached the beach with a lump of wooden fence post. Concerned for the safety of people in the area, she tackled him, taking him to the ground while ignoring the risk to herself, before subduing and disarming him. Whilst using all her strength to keep him detained until backup arrived, she used her communications skills to liaise with the other services and reason with the man. The doctor treating the male from the water categorically stated that, had she not pulled him out of the water when she did, he would have died. He suffered a collapsed lung and pneumonia from nearly drowning.


SUSSEX PS Alec Barrett suffered a life- changing injury as he intervened to stop a gang of violent men who were assaulting members of the public. Police received calls from various members of public about a group of around 5-10 people walking up Queens Road in Brighton towards the railway station, attacking people along the way at random.


This group had already been involved in a burglary at a venue in the city centre and had assaulted members of staff. PS Barrett was single crewed and witnessed the indiscriminate assaults by the gang from his patrol car. He reported the fight on his radio and jumped from his car to


stop the group and protect innocent members of the public. He was hugely outnumbered and, without any consideration of his personal safety, entered the crowd and took hold of a male without a top, who he had seen punch two men in the face. The male violently struggled with PS Barrett, but he managed


to get the male to the floor, leaving the officer in a vulnerable position. Before he knew it, one of the group members stormed towards him and punched him in the face multiple times. He tried to defend himself, but the blows continued to his face, causing life-changing injuries. In order to stop this cowardly attack, PS Barrett had to let go of the male he had detained and take hold of the attacker forcing him over to the other side of the road. At this point PS Barrett was attacked further members of the group so he deployed his captor spray to drive them away. Despite being seriously injured and the further attacks, he managed to hold onto the assailant and call for assistance, stopping the group and preventing further members of the public being assaulted, or worse.


PS Barrett suffered a fractured eye socket and now has to live with a sunken eye socket for the rest of his life.


31 | POLICE | JUNE | 2024


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