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Police Bravery Awards 2021

Home Secretary Priti Patel listens to
PC Mat Evans’ story.

Mat wins regional

Police Bravery Award

West Midlands Police officer won the between the attacker, Mohammed Alinoor
regional award for the Midlands at Uddin, and his victim.
A the 2021 Police Bravery Awards after The brave officer then chased Uddin as he
being nominated for tackling a knifeman who fled and tackled and disarmed the man, who
stabbed an emergency services worker in the was high on drink and drugs, before holding Photos courtesy of Anderson Photography.
heart. him on the ground until Metropolitan Police
PC Mat Evans joined fellow nominees officers arrived.
from forces across England and Wales at the Mat was bitten on the hand by Uddin and
awards ceremony in London which was also also abused by a hostile crowd that gathered,
attended by policing minister Kit Malthouse, with some trying to prevent him from
shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and holding the suspect.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame He was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital in
Cressida Dick. central London to receive treatment for the
He took along his brother, Richard, as his bite before giving up the rest of his day off to Mat and his brother Richard inside No 10.
guest and was also joined at the awards attend Stoke Newington Police Station,
ceremony by Rich Cooke, chair of West meeting the investigation team and making the decision to tackle the offender, he
Midlands Police Federation, and the Chief providing a recorded witness interview. asked himself: “If not me, then who?”
Constable Sir David Thompson. His compelling evidence for the Crown Rich Cooke said after the ceremony: “I was
Earlier in the day, Mat and Richard Prosecution Service saw Uddin convicted of very honoured to attend the Police Bravery
attended a Downing Street reception hosted wounding with intent at The Old Bailey and Awards with Mat and his brother. This was
by Home Secretary Priti Patel. jailed for 12 years and nine months in March one of my first official duties since being
The Police Federation of England and 2020. He had previous convictions for robbery re-elected as chair and I could not be more
Wales Bravery Awards 2021 saw winners and possessing knives in public. proud.
named in all eight of its regions and then an The victim of the knife attack survived “Mat, and so many other nominees,
overall winner was chosen from those. after emergency surgery at the Royal London played down their efforts, saying they didn’t
West Midlands Police Federation is part of Hospital. do anything out of the ordinary and they
Region 4 which also includes Staffordshire, On being presented with his award by were just doing the job they are paid to do.
Warwickshire and West Mercia. Paul Griffiths, president of the Police But, each and every nominee showed just
Mat was off duty when he witnessed the Superintendents’ Association, Mat talked what it is that makes policing and police
attack near the Royal London Hospital, in about the horrific incident, explaining his officers anything but ordinary. Each and every
Whitechapel, in October 2019. He shock that a crowd of onlookers made no day they put their lives on the line to protect
immediately intervened, putting himself attempt to help him. He also said that when others, often complete strangers, and that is
06 federation December 2021/January 2022 www.polfed.org/westmids