Winners announced at Police Bravery Awards 2011

7 July 2011

A courageous officer from the Metropolitan Police was voted the bravest officer in England and Wales tonight at the 16th annual Police Bravery Awards held at The Savoy in London.

The gala evening organised by the Police Federation of England and Wales, The Sun newspaper, and in partnership with Police Mutual, was attended by fifty-nine of the most courageous officers from forces throughout England and Wales. The ceremony followed a reception at 10 Downing Street where officers were greeted by and photographed with the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

The winning officer, PC Graham Hislop, was given the award for his bravery in single-handedly tackling a gang warfare situation.

PC Hislop responded to a call to a notorious gangland estate. On arrival, he drove into the middle of two rival gangs fighting in the street, and they were armed with dangerous weapons including a petrol bomb. He 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 gangs fled the scene on hearing approaching sirens.

Winners from each of the eight regions were also selected;

The winner from the North West was DS Andrew Bolton* from Merseyside for courageously intervening in a violent fight despite being off-duty at the time.

Winning 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 throughout the ordeal but managed to protect passers-by.

The winner for the Midlands is PC John Demers from the West Midlands for single-handedly detaining a violent axe wielding maniac.

Winning the Eastern regional award were three un-armed Northamptonshire officers for pursing and detaining a man despite being threatened with a gun.

The winners for the South East were Sussex officers, PC David Upjohn and PS Daniel Pitcher for tackling a blazing fire to save the lives of others.

The winners for Wales were two South Wales officers for their courage in pursuing and subsequently arresting a dangerous driver despite having their patrol car run over by a 4x4 several times throughout 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 midst of a violent burglary.

The winner for London (and the overall winner), was PC Graham Hislop as mentioned earlier in the release.

Paul McKeever, Chairman, Police Federation of England and Wales says:

"Each of these officers are truly deserving winners. I am extremely proud of their dedication to duty, protecting 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 newspapers says:

"The Sun is extremely proud of our continuing sponsorship of The Police Bravery Awards and it is a great honour for us to have this unique opportunity to recognise Britain’s exceptional police service.

"Every day our policemen and women risk their own safety to protect the public and we owe them all a huge debt of gratitude. All the winners deserve the highest possible praise and I hope these awards are seen as a fitting tribute to every member of Britain’s Police Force."

Stephen Mann, Police Mutual's Chief Executive says:

"Police Mutual is proud and honoured to be supporting the Police Bravery Awards. Every day members of the police service risk their own safety to protect that of others, and I am pleased that Police Mutual can play a part in recognising some tremendous examples of this. Our congratulations and thanks go to all the winners and finalists, as well as to all the officers who perform this demanding role every day."

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