2025 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS


man fell to the floor, before they detained and arrested him. Officers later found knives strewn around the man’s house, suggesting he had been preparing for a longer siege.


CLEVELAND PS Steven Bolsover and his colleague faced a brutal mob attack while protecting the public. In the early hours of November 26, 2023, PS Bolsover and Officer B were patrolling an area already on edge due to earlier disturbances, including a vehicle being overturned and set ablaze. Officer B moved ahead to investigate, briefly losing contact with PS Bolsover. Turning a corner, he found Officer B encircled by five aggressive males, threatening him with physical harm. Prioritising the urgent need to control the fire, the officers attempted to focus on their duty, but the aggressive crowd continued its intimidation tactics. When an arrest became necessary, the suspect violently


resisted, forcing both officers to engage in restraint. Officer B single-handedly subdued and arrested the male while fending off further assaults. Remaining attackers turned their aggression toward PS Bolsover. Bricks, bottles, and pieces of concrete were hurled at him. A male attempted to strike his head with a house brick. Moments later, a glass bottle hit its mark, shattering upon impact


and causing serious injuries to his hand, severing muscles and nerves. The shattered glass also lodged into his chin, leaving deep lacerations and heavy bleeding.


As PS Bolsover fought through his injuries, he saw that the


situation for his colleague had become even more dire. At least eight individuals had surrounded Officer B, attempting to free the arrested male and assault the officer. Despite the overwhelming assault, Officer B demonstrated


extraordinary resilience, managing to hold onto the suspect while defending himself. PS Bolsover activated his emergency alarm, signalling for


backup. Despite serious injuries, he pressed forward, using his baton to defend himself until the sound of approaching sirens caused the attackers to flee. Tragically, the injuries sustained by PS Bolsover were life-


altering. The damage to his hand meant he would never regain full movement, forcing him into medical retirement.


CUMBRIA


A heroic PC dug an elderly man out of a collapsed house caused by a suspected gas explosion. The officer was at home off duty on New Years Eve when an explosion rocked his house. He immediately ran outside and saw a terraced house about 100 metres away from his address had been devastated by an explosion. Rubble was falling from the building; the roof having collapsed,


and masonry was strewn in all directions covering cars and the surrounding street. He described the scene that met him as ‘chaos’. He immediately ran into the property without any thought for his personal safety and located an elderly critically injured individual underneath a pile of rubble. He dug him out and carried him from the house which was still falling down around him.


18 | POLICE | JUNE | 2025


DORSET PC Demar Rowe restrained a dangerous individual wielding an activated electric saw. In the morning of 9 August 2023, PC Rowe, while off duty and travelling to work, noticed a man walking in front of traffic and attempting to lie down on the road. PC Rowe pulled over in his vehicle over and went to speak to him. He noticed the man was extremely agitated and was fixated


He was also told there were others in the property, so he went


back in, locating two more people on the first floor. He was unable to reach them as the staircase had been completely destroyed in the explosion. He remained at the house to assist and guide other emergency


service colleagues as they arrived at the scene. He offered reassurance to the other two individuals still trapped inside until they were rescued, only returning home once they were all safe. His prompt actions at the scene were imperative to allow the injured member of the public to obtain swift medical care and contributed to the safety of the other people left in the building and surrounding area.


DERBYSHIRE


PC Mathew Thomas saved the life of a vulnerable elderly woman found unresponsive in a freezing cold reservoir.


On 17 December 2024, PC Thomas, along with PC Donna Twort, attended an emergency call for service at the Ladybower Reservoir near the Yorkshire border. This was in response to a call made by a distressed female in her 70s. The woman called the police and stated she intended to take her own life. The report came with little detail other than where the vehicle would be left and a first name. While travelling to the area, PC Thomas remained calm and composed, passing updates and requesting further information. PC Thomas and PC Twort were also joined by two officers from the Dales section, PC Andrew Bucknall and PC Elizabeth Green. PC Thomas and PC Twort spotted the woman, who appeared


to be floating and not moving. At this point, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service also arrived.


PC Thomas put himself at great personal risk, wading into extremely cold water on a winter’s morning, not knowing the depth or likely hidden dangers. He took hold of the victim and brought her to the embankment for medical treatment, which was administered by the Fire Service crew in attendance. Despite being wet through and freezing, PC Thomas remained with the other emergency services until an ambulance arrived to assist. Her body temperature dipped to life-threatening levels and needed immediate medical attention. She was treated in hospital where she made a full recovery, enabling her to receive the best support for her mental health moving forward.


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