2025 POLICE BRAVERY AWARDS
Without hesitating, the officers drove toward the subject vehicle and made tactical contact, ramming it into the central reservation and preventing a major collision with other motorists. The subject vehicle hit the officers’ head on at 80mph and came to rest just feet away other vehicles.
WEST YORKSHIRE PC Rhona Adams’ quick- thinking actions saved the life of a vulnerable woman who had set herself on fire.
She was responding single- crewed to a high-risk missing person report. The incident unfolded in a bustling fast-food restaurant filled with families. Arriving at the scene, PC Adams quickly grasped the severity of the situation. The presence of large numbers of people, including children, in such a crowded setting made the threat even more alarming. But PC Adams didn’t hesitate. With the assistance of the restaurant’s staff, PC Adams made her way to the disabled toilets, where it was believed the missing person was located. What she found inside was utterly devastating: the woman had already set herself alight. Without regard for her own safety, PC Adams immediately leapt into action. She reached the woman and, despite the raging fire, began desperately trying to smother the flames with her bare hands.
Recognising the need for further action, PC Adams
directed the staff to bring a fire extinguisher. With remarkable composure, she used the extinguisher effectively, successfully dousing the remaining fire and preventing it from spreading. Her rapid intervention not only stopped the fire from engulfing the woman completely but also ensured the safety of everyone else in the area.
WILTSHIRE PC Nicola Crabbe has been nominated for the National Bravery Awards 2025 for her heroic actions in two separate incidents.
INCIDENT 1 On the morning of 21 May 2024, PC Crabbe responded to a 999 call reporting a person floating near a bridge. PC Crabbe and her PCSO colleague quickly arrived at the scene to find a person face down in the water, about 15 feet from the canal bank. Without hesitation, PC Crabbe removed her operational
kit and jumped into the canal. She swam to the person, who appeared to be wearing a cycling helmet, and dragged them back to the bank with the help of her PCSO colleague. PC Crabbe then commenced CPR for around 10 minutes until additional officers arrived with a defibrillator, which helped restore a small pulse. The individual, a female, was taken to the Bristol Royal Infirmary,
and her family was contacted. Despite the best efforts of hospital staff, the female passed away later that day. It was determined she
32 | POLICE | JUNE | 2025
had suffered a medical episode while cycling along the canal path and had been in the water for approximately 20 minutes before help arrived.
PC Crabbe’s quick thinking and brave actions gave the female a chance at survival and allowed her family to say their goodbyes.
INCIDENT 2 On Saturday 29 June 2024, Wiltshire Police received multiple calls about a male chasing another male along a main road into Devizes town. The pursued male was bleeding badly from his head and back. PC Crabbe and her PCSO colleague were dispatched and were the first to arrive at the scene, where they found two men fighting in the street. Without concern for her safety, PC Crabbe separated the two
males and noticed that one of them was armed with a knife. A struggle ensued, during which PC Crabbe was assaulted by the suspect, who was chanting and claiming to act “in the name of God”. Despite being grabbed and pulled by her hair, PC Crabbe maintained control of the suspect. With assistance from her PCSO colleague and a member of the public, they managed to detain the suspect against a building. The suspect continued to struggle until backup arrived, and he was eventually tasered and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The victim, who had been stabbed, was airlifted to the hospital and made a full recovery.
WEST MIDLANDS PS Paul Williams has been recognised for his extraordinary actions after saving a woman from a savage dog attack in Yardley, Birmingham. The terrifying incident occurred in the early hours of 23 May 2023, when PS Williams, responding alone to an emergency call, arrived to find a woman being mauled by two large German shepherd-type dogs. She had already suffered severe injuries and was in critical condition. Despite being single-crewed and facing an unpredictable and violent situation, PS Williams immediately took action. Exiting his vehicle, he attempted to use his Taser to subdue one of the dogs, but it malfunctioned. The aggressive animals then turned on him, forcing him back
into his car. Undeterred, he assessed the malfunction and realised he had another opportunity to act. With immense composure, PS Williams exited his car once more and successfully incapacitated one of the dogs with his Taser. However, the second dog launched at him, biting his arm. Fighting through the pain, he managed to shake it off and return to his vehicle. As the first dog recovered from the Taser, both animals fled the scene, finally ending the harrowing attack. PS Williams’s quick thinking and bravery prevented what could
have been a fatal incident. The victim, who had been out for a walk in the early hours due to trouble sleeping, was rushed to the hospital and spent four weeks in intensive care. PS Williams sustained injuries to his arm that required medical
attention, but he humbly described them as superficial compared to the life-threatening wounds suffered by the woman.
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