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Officers who took on gunmen to be honoured at police bravery awards Officers who took on gunman honoured at police bravery awards
(about 9 hours later)
Three unarmed officers who tackled a man threatening them with a gun are among the police to be honoured for their bravery on Thursday. Three unarmed officers who tackled a man threatening them with a handgun were honoured for their bravery on Thursday. The officers from the Northumbria force – a woman and two men – were the overall winners of this year’s Police Bravery awards, which give an insight into the dangers faced by law enforcement on the streets.
The officers, a woman and two men, appear on the shortlist for this year’s Police Bravery awards, created to give an insight into the dangers faced by law enforcement on the streets. Among others nominated were officers who ran into burning buildings, rushed into water, and saved suicidal people from killing themselves. Also honoured were the officers who rugby-tackled the extremist rightwing assassin who shot and stabbed Labour MP Jo Cox to death.
Among others nominated are officers who ran into burning buildings, rushed into water, and saved people who had become suicidal from killing themselves. Also honoured are the officers who rugby tackled the man who shot and stabbed Labour MP Jo Cox to death. This year’s awards came after the murder of an officer, PC Keith Palmer, as he defended parliament during a terrorist attack by Khalid Masood in March.
This year’s awards come after the murder of an officer, PC Keith Palmer, as he defended parliament during a terrorist attack by Khalid Masood in March. The three Northumbria officers, PCs Michael Otterson and Sarah Currie and Sgt Elliott Richardson, tackled a man brandishing a handgun. He thought by attacking police he would get proper treatment for the acute mental health problems he suffered.
Three Northumbria officers, PCs Michael Otterson and Sarah Currie and Sgt Elliott Richardson, are nominated after they tackled a man brandishing a handgun. Concerns had been raised by a community nurse about a man with a history of mental illness who had made threats of violence. Police searched for the man in Gateshead and spotted him entering a pub wearing body armour. The officers followed, and according to the citation: “When officers Currie and Otterson opened the door to the pub, they were confronted by the man, holding a firearm and levelling it at them.”
Concerns had been raised by a community nurse about a man with a history of mental illness who had made threats of violence. Police searched for the man in Gateshead and spotted him entering a pub wearing body armour. They struggled with the man to wrestle the gun off him, with a third officer and a member of the public joining in. During the struggle, the gun went off, but there were no injuries.
The officers followed and according to the citation: “When officers Currie and Otterson opened the door to the pub, they were confronted by the man, holding a firearm and leveling it at them.” The man had a rucksack containing two handguns, a crossbow, a pack of throwing knives, home-made petrol bombs and smoke grenades. When questioned, he said he had armed himself so that he could injure police officers, believing it was the only way he could get proper treatment for his mental health conditions, which include schizophrenia and paranoia.
They struggled with the man to wrestle the gun off him, with a third officer and a member of the public joining in. During the struggle the gun went off, but there were no injuries. The home secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “It’s because of the instinctive actions and remarkable heroism of PCs Currie and Otterson and Sergeant Richardson that a horrifying incident was stopped and an imminent threat to public safety was averted.”
The man had a rucksack containing two handguns, a crossbow, a pack of throwing knives, home-made petrol bombs, and smoke grenades. Also nominated were Lincolnshire officers who, while on a night out in Newark, Nottinghamshire, tackled an armed robber brandishing a shotgun.
The man when questioned said he had armed himself so he could injure police officers, believing it was the only way he could get proper treatment for his mental health conditions, which include schizophrenia and paranoia. Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We have heard truly astounding feats of bravery, including officers who have saved people from the brink of suicide, tackled offenders armed with knives and guns; and had petrol poured over them with the threat of being set alight.
Also nominated are Lincolnshire officers, who while off duty, tackled an armed robber brandishing a shotgun. “This year, perhaps more than most, the public realise the threats we face every day and the heroic efforts of our officers, most of which goes unnoticed and unreported.”
Nominees had a reception at Downing Street and will be honoured on Thursday night at a central London ceremony attended by the home secretary, Amber Rudd. Also honoured were the two West Yorkshire officers who arrested Thomas Mair shortly after he had assassinated the Labour MP Jo Cox. On seeing the suspect, PCs Craig Nicholls and Jonathan Wright moved towards Mair and he dropped a bag he was carrying and appeared to try to grab something from his waistband.
Their citation reads: “Fearing it was a weapon, the pair sprang in to action, running at him and rugby-tackling him to the ground to arrest him. It was not until the suspect was arrested and the discovery of a gun and a knife in his possession that both officers realised the magnitude of their actions.”
Five Metropolitan officers who tackled a suspected suicide attacker and then placed him in a bear hug fearing that he would trigger an explosion were also honoured. The officers were called to reports of a man armed with a machete near the Arsenal ground. PC Jason Hodgson and PC Alex Field detained the man, who resisted so fiercely that two sets of handcuffs were needed to restrain him.
Then they noticed coloured electrical wires coming from his jacket and feared he might be wearing a suicide vest. Officers placed the suspect in a bear hug, despite the danger to their own lives. Another officer, PC Wayne Pullen, used his military experience to take apart a circuit board and metal plates that were attached to electrical wires concealed in the suspect’s jacket.
The citation reads: “Mindful that they were in a densely populated area very close to the Arsenal Emirates stadium, the officers made the selfless decision to tightly hug the suspect to prevent him triggering the suspected improvised explosive device (IED).”