Page 8 - WMPF Federation AUG-SEPT 2019_Neat
P. 8
National Police Bavery Awards
Brave PCs honoured
at Downing Street
reception
wo West Midlands officers were addressed all the nominees at a Downing they confronted a group of men armed with
honoured at this year’s national Street reception. knives. They were still in training at the time
T Police Bravery Awards, attending one PCs Lorna Walsh and Adam McWalter of the incident in June 2018.
of the last official appointments of Theresa were put forward for the prestigious award They joined other award nominees from
May when the former Prime Minister by West Midlands Police Federation after forces across England and Wales at an
afternoon reception at No 10 before an
evening awards ceremony.
They had volunteered to change their
shifts and take part in a plain clothes
operation tackling prostitution when on
Ninevah Road they came across a group of
20 men - one of whom was holding a knife
with an eight-inch blade to the stomach of
another.
The officers got out of their vehicle and
identified themselves as police officers
before shouting for the man to put down
the knife. They drew their batons and spray
but the man with the knife started to run
towards PC McWalter with the knife out in
front of him in a threatening manner, before
being seen to discard it over a wall.
Not knowing whether the man had any
other weapons, PC McWalter gave chase to
try to apprehend him when a second man
pulled a large knife out of his waistband
and, holding it in the air, ran towards PC
Walsh. PC Walsh shouted at the man to put
the knife down but he ran off, following her
colleague.
PC Walsh feared for her colleague’s
safety and screamed to warn him of the
threat approaching him from behind. PC
McWalter activated his emergency button
and managed to keep both men in sight,
even though the second offender ran at him
with the knife.
Colleagues with Taser arrived on scene
quickly and both men were red dotted and
subsequently arrested.
This year’s national Police Bravery Award
was presented to PC Andrew Dear. The
Warwickshire officer took the weight of a
car on his back so he could rescue a severely
injured man trapped in a car after a road
PCs Adam McWalter and Lorna Walsh outside the gates at the end of Downing Street before accident.
the afternoon reception.
08 federation August/September 2019 www.polfed.org/westmids
