2025 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS
In the room behind where the suspect was detained a further seriously injured young child was found, and in a separate room the officers located a young girl and adult female who had been hiding from the suspect.
In another room a further group of males were located hiding, all shaking with fear and one with a stab wound to his leg, who were guided out by the officers. By this time, more officers and paramedics had arrived at the location to assist those who had been injured. Due to the actions of Rudakubana, three young children were tragically killed, Elsie Stancombe, Alice De Silva Aguiar and Bebe King. A further 10 other people, including young children and adults, were attacked and stabbed, in an attack described later in court as a “meticulously planned rampage”.
METROPOLITAN 1 PC Mohammed Raja sprang into action to break up a brawl single- handedly.
On 25 April 2024, PC Raja was off duty and driving along Southall High Street with his family when he saw plumes of grey smoke and a group of people coming out of a pub. As he got closer, he saw that it was a large fight, spilling out onto the road and causing an obstruction. Around 15 to 20 people were using weapons, including sticks, chairs, other pieces of furniture and even a fire extinguisher, which was where the smoke was coming from. PC Raja immediately placed himself on duty and called the incident in on 999. Recognising the imminent risk, rather than staying in his vehicle and waiting for local units, PC Raja ran towards the fight in order to save life and limb, provide first aid, and prevent further injuries.
Clearly outnumbered, PC Raja used his tactical communication skills to challenge the assailants and attempt to break up the fight. At first the staff wouldn’t let PC Raja inside, believing him to be one of the brawlers. He showed them his warrant card. They let him in, and he asked if anyone was injured inside the pub. Thankfully, the staff were unharmed, and the blood had come from the group of men who had been fighting among themselves. PC Raja stayed on scene until uniformed, on-duty colleagues arrived; he provided a briefing and handover; however, no arrests came of it and the investigation was concluded.
METROPOLITAN 2 PC Aaron Prayter (top right) and PC Alfie Challis (right) saved the life of a shopkeeper who was being attacked by a dangerous individual with a sledgehammer. They responded to reports that a man had stolen a sledgehammer from a tyre shop in Leyton and had attacked a member of the public. When the officers arrived at the scene, PC Prayter helped
PC Aaron Prayter from the Met police
provide first aid to the victim. The man had been punched in the face and knocked unconscious. While he was on the ground, the attacker had repeatedly stamped on his head, before stealing his bag.
PC Challis searched the area for the assailant. A member of the public pointed him towards a corner shop, and he could see there were signs of a struggle inside, so he called for assistance from PC Prayter. Both officers entered the shop and heard the shopkeeper pleading for help. Despite being unarmed and not knowing what they would find, they ventured further inside and found the suspect on the floor attacking the shopkeeper. Later the officers found out the attacker had hit the shopkeeper on the head with the sledgehammer before getting him on the floor. Thankfully, both victims made a full recovery.
METROPOLITAN 3 PC James McDowall and his colleague safely detained a vulnerable individual with a gun. In the early hours of 7 October 2023, the Met received a call from a concerned member of the public who had received
message from a friend who was clearly in distress. The message detailed life-
threatening self-harm and extreme mental distress including suicidal ideations. PC McDowall and PC A were dispatched to an address in Tower Hamlets. When they arrived, family members
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