A courageous officer from the Metropolitan Police Service has been voted the bravest officer in England and Wales at the 16th annual Police Bravery Awards.
The gala evening at London’s Savoy Hotel – organised by the Police Federation of England and Wales and The Sun newspaper and run in partnership with Police Mutual – was attended by fifty-nine of the most courageous officers from forces throughout England and Wales.
The ceremony itself followed on from a reception at 10 Downing Street where officers were greeted by – and photographed with – the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
PC Graham Hislop was given the overall award for his bravery in single-handedly tackling gang warfare after responding to a call to a notorious estate.
On arrival, he drove into the middle of two rival gangs fighting in the street, the members of which were armed with dangerous weapons (including a petrol bomb).
PC Hislop bravely exited his vehicle and placed himself between the two groups.
In the midst of violent threats, he went on to arrest one of the youths, dispersed the fight and gave commentary to enable other officers to make arrests for affray as the gang members attempted to flee the scene on hearing the approaching sirens.
Praise from the Home Secretary
Home Secretary Theresa May, who presented the 2011 bravery awards, said: “Our brave policemen and women are regularly called upon to risk their own safety to protect the people of Britain. These awards are a fitting tribute to the commitment and dedication of the officers in our police service. All officers nominated in the Police Bravery Awards have showed outstanding courage and stand as an example to us all.”
May added: “We must all thank the winners, whose dedication is a testament to this country’s magnificent police service and reminds us why we should all be proud of it.”
Winners from each of the eight regions were also selected.
The winner from the North West was DS Andrew Bolton from Merseyside, who courageously intervened to stop a violent fight when off duty.
Winners of the North East regional award were PCs Matthew Duffy and Mark Adams from South Yorkshire for their heroic efforts in detaining a man armed with a knife. Both officers were injured during this ordeal, but managed to protect members of the public at all times.
The winner for the Midlands in 2011 is PC John Demers from the West Midlands who single-handedly detained a violent axe-wielding maniac.
Winning the Eastern regional award were three unarmed Northamptonshire officers who pursued and detained a man despite the fact he’d threatened them with a gun.
The winners for the South East were Sussex officers PC David Upjohn and PS Daniel Pitcher for tackling a blazing fire in order to save the lives of others.
Winners for Wales, the South West and London
The winners for Wales were two South Wales police officers for their courage in pursuing and subsequently arresting a dangerous driver despite having their patrol car run over several times by a 4×4 during the chase.
The winners for the South West region were unarmed Dorset officers Katie Harvey and Kelli Walker for confronting and arresting armed gang members in the middle of a violent burglary.
The winner for London – and, as stated, also the overall winner – was PC Graham Hislop.
Speaking about the awards, Paul McKeever – chairman of the Police Federation in England and Wales – said: “Each of these officers is a truly deserving winner. I’m extremely proud of their dedication to duty and the fact that they protect us all from harm and threat. Thank You to all of you, and well done. Your actions are an inspiration to us all, and a credit to the service.”
Dominic Mohan, editor of The Sun, added: “The Sun is extremely proud of its continuing sponsorship of The Police Bravery Awards, and it’s a great honour for us to have this unique opportunity to recognise Britain’s exceptional police service.”
Mohan continued: “Everyday, our policemen and women risk their own safety to protect that of others, and all of us owe them a huge debt of gratitude. All of this year’s winners deserve the highest possible praise, and I very much hope these awards are seen as a fitting tribute to every member of Britain’s police forces.”
Citizens honoured for “remarkable acts of bravery”
Members of the public have been honoured for remarkable acts of bravery at the ACPO National Public Bravery Awards.
At the ACPO National Public Bravery Awards held in Harrogate, the police service has honoured members of the public for remarkable acts of bravery.
The awards, which trace their history back to 1965, are designed to recognise members of the public for actions which support the police in preserving law and order. This year’s awards ceremony acknowledged 89 people for their courage and bravery.
This year, for the very first time police forces in Scotland also put forward nominees, making the event truly national in scope.
Honorary awards secretary chief constable Meredydd Hughes said: “These awards give the police service the opportunity to formally acknowledge those altruistic people who have intervened to help others when the worst in society crossed their path.”
He added: “Each and every day, police forces rely on members of the public to support them in maintaining law and order. We have recognised extraordinary people for some of the most outstanding acts of bravery. People who put themselves at considerable risk to come to the aid of other people in need.”
In conclusion, Hughes explained: “We are delighted to be honoring these individuals, who are of all ages and come from all walks of life. As a consequence of their courage to intervene, lives have been saved and criminals sentenced to a total of more than 200 years behind bars. Their actions are to be commended, and we thank them for their selfless acts.”
This year’s award winners are from 21 force areas and include 14 gold medals and 19 silver medals. A further 56 certificates of commendation were awarded, with the recipients to receive them at separate local ceremonies.
The force areas with award recipients, including commendations, are: Durham, Essex, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Lothian and Borders, Metropolitan Police Service, Merseyside, North Wales, Northamptonshire, Northern, Police Service of Northern Ireland, South Wales, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Strathclyde, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire.
Watch the ACPO Public Bravery Award video
CCTV footage below shows an armed hold-up in a ‘booze and food’ store in Manchester.
Store worker Furguan Choudhary, 21, was approached by a masked gunman who pointed a single-barrelled shotgun at him and indicated towards the counter. The gunman pointed the gun at Mr Choudhary’s chest area, only two or three inches away from him and demanded money.
Immediately, Mr Choudhary grabbed the gun with both hands and began to struggle with the gunman. As they struggled, a shotgun round was discharged into the ceiling of the shop, only narrowly missing Mr Choudhary’s head.
Shop proprietor Asghar Ali, 42, appeared from where he had been working below the counter to come to the aid of his colleague and they both struggled with the gun-toting robber.
As the struggle went on, the gunman tried to break away and run out of the shop but both Mr Choudhary and Mr Ali managed to restrain him before police arrived.
Mr Choudhary was awarded a gold medal at the annual ACPO Public Bravery Awards for his outstanding bravery. Mr Ali was given a certificate for his role in helping restrain the offender.
