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Police Bravery Awards 2021



       ‘There was no choice




       to make - I had to




       stop him before he




       killed someone’







            n off-duty police officer has been
            nominated for a bravery award after
       Atackling a knifeman who stabbed an
       emergency services worker in the heart.
          West Midlands PC Matthew Evans
       witnessed the attack near the Royal London
       Hospital, in Whitechapel, in October 2019.
       He immediately intervened, putting himself
       between the attacker, Mohammed Alinoor
       Uddin, and his victim.
          PC Evans (42) then chased Uddin as he
       fled. He tackled and disarmed the man, who
       was high on drink and drugs, before holding
       him on the ground until Metropolitan Police
       officers arrived.
          PC Evans was bitten on the hand by
       Uddin and also abused by a hostile crowd
       that gathered, with some trying to prevent
       him from holding the suspect.
          The officer was taken to St Thomas’
       Hospital, in central London, to receive
       treatment for the bite before giving up the
       rest of his day off to attend Stoke Newington
       Police Station, meeting the investigation
       team and providing a recorded witness
       interview.
          His compelling evidence for the Crown
       Prosecution Service saw Uddin convicted of   PC Matthew Evans.
       wounding with intent at The Old Bailey and   for the victim”.            safety, he was simply determined to catch a
       jailed for 12 years and nine months in March      Recalling the attack, PC Evans said:   violent individual. He was then subjected to
       2020. He had previous convictions for   “When I saw the guy being stabbed, for me   an assault himself, but his tenacity showed
       robbery and possessing knives in public.  there wasn’t a choice to make - I had to stop   through to ensure this male was unable to
          The victim of the knife attack survived   him before he killed someone.  escape and the knife he had with him was
       after emergency surgery at the Royal London      “I’m glad everything turned out well in   recovered.
       Hospital.                           the end. The doctors, nurses and hospital      “PC Evans went above and beyond to
          PC Evans, an officer with 22 years’ service   staff performed a miracle in saving that   ensure the offender was captured. He did
       and based at Birmingham West NPU, has   man’s life.”                     more than many people would have done,
       already received a Deputy Commissioner’s      Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police   putting himself in harm’s way to catch a
       award from the Metropolitan Police.   Federation, said: “PC Evans acted in the   dangerous man. He has rightly been
       He has now been nominated by West   finest traditions of British policing when he   commended for the courage he displayed.”
       Midlands Police Federation for the Police   fearlessly tackled this violent offender.     Sir David Thompson, the Chief Constable
       Federation’s Police Bravery Awards 2021.     “He was utterly exceptional and beyond   of West Midlands Police, said: “Matt is a
          The senior investigating officer, Detective   brave. He chased and detained a suspect   cracking officer. He is a big presence in
       Gavin Markey, said the attack would likely   with a knife, knowing that he had just   Birmingham city centre and an outstanding
       have continued but for PC Evans’    viciously stabbed another man in the street.  nominee for this selfless act. He is one of our
       intervention, with “the outcome far worse      “With absolutely no regard for his own   finest.”


      www.polfed.org/westmids                                       federation  October/November 2021      15
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