Remarkable bravery celebrated at Chief Constable's Awards
Remarkable acts of bravery and self-sacrifice that have saved lives and protected the vulnerable have been celebrated at a special ceremony.
From running into a burning building, to stopping an armed attacker – officers from across Hampshire Constabulary have been honoured for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Officers and members of the public were recognised at the Chief Constable’s Awards, which were held in Netley.
Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney had the honour of presenting the awards.
She said: “It is with immense pride that I present these awards to our officers who have truly shown great courage and professionalism when faced with some truly terrible crimes.
“Every day our officers are working hard to make our communities safer and these examples show the lengths they are willing to go to in order to protect those they have promised to serve, often putting themselves in harm’s way without a second thought.
“From incredible displays of strength, to personal sacrifices to get the job done and running into danger when others are going in the opposite direction, it is clear these officers have gone above and beyond.
She added: “Officers should not have to face the threat of violence when trying to do their job, but sadly this is not always the reality.
“Once again we have seen how our officers have refused to give up when confronted with such unacceptable aggression.
“It is important for me to celebrate these achievements and show people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight the exceptional work our officers are doing day in and day out to fight crime and protect the vulnerable.”
John Apter, chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, added: “Police officers never know what they will have to deal with when they come on duty and it appears from this award ceremony that acts of extreme bravery are all in a day’s work for those I am proud to represent.
“There is no greater achievement than saving the life of another person, those who have received awards not only saved lives but risked their own in doing so.
“Police officers don’t do what they do for thanks and recognition but when we see such acts of incredible bravery they deserve all the praise they get.”
Please see below a list of some of those who received an award.
Chief Constable Commendations
PC Guy Dempsey and PC Warren Macklin – Winchester
Joanne Robson – member of the public
Confronted with a burning building these two officers ran towards it as everyone else ran away.
Having been told that there was a man inside, the pair ignored the thick black smoke that engulfed the Winchester building and ran in.
Checking all the rooms as they went, they found the man lying motionless on the floor.
He had been dragged there by Joanne Robson, who had managed to pull the man from the room where the fire had started, before helping to evacuate others from the building.
Despite the wall of thick smoke the officers were able to drag the man down the corridor and got him outside to safety.
Both the officers and Ms Robson risked their own lives to save this man’s life and had it not been for their actions that day in July, he may not have survived.
Congratulations to PC Guy Dempsey, PC Warren Macklin and Joanne Robson.
PC Jon Garland, PC Jack Alexander and PC Mark Allison - Aldershot
An armed and dangerous man who thought nothing of stabbing two officers is behind bars today thanks to the incredible bravery of these men.
No one should ever have to go to work and see their colleagues violently attacked but sadly this was the reality for our officers in Farnborough last July.
Having been deployed to an address to protect those inside, PC Allison and PC Alexander were confronted with a man wielding a large butcher’s knife.
Within seconds the man had stabbed PC Allison in the shoulder and PC Alexander in the hand.
However, despite the severity of their injuries these two officers did not retreat, they stood firm and did what they could to restrain and disarm the man, knowing the danger he posed to others if he had got away.
While most would be frozen by shock and terror, PC Garland reacted immediately to pull another colleague out of the reach of the knifeman.
He then drew his Taser and stopped the attacker as he was stood, knife raised, over another officer.
There is no doubt that the courageous actions of these officers prevented anyone else getting hurt and ensured the man responsible was jailed.
Congratulations to PC Jon Garland, PC Jack Alexander and PC Mark Allison.
Chief Constable Congratulations
Special Constable Bruce Armstrong – Basingstoke
He has been hailed as one of the most impressive Special Constables working to protect the communities of Hampshire.
Not only has his work seen him take two armed robbers off our streets, his unwavering loyalty, enthusiasm and professionalism has proven a real asset to the force.
And we must remember, he does all this in his spare time, fitting it around his day job as a nurse consultant.
This commitment was highlighted in May last year when he was working with officers in Basingstoke, searching for two robbery suspects.
As searches were being carried out following the report of a robbery, a second was called in, claiming one of the suspects was armed with a knife.
Undeterred by the possible threat, Bruce continued to stop several people in the area until he made two arrests.
Those people were later charged and Bruce remained on duty for several hours to ensure all the paperwork was complete, leaving him just two hours before he started his day job.
Congratulations to Special Constable Bruce Armstrong.
Firearms officer PC Martin Parker
The actions of this officer were nothing short of heroic and without doubt saved a man’s life.
Time was of the essence when PC Parker and his team were called to a man who had hung himself from a tree in Stockbridge, last April.
With a ladder placed against the tree, PC Parker quickly climbed to the top and took the man’s weight, around 17 stone.
But, without warning, the ladder suddenly collapsed below them.
Remarkably, PC Parker not only managed to grab onto the tree, preventing himself from falling, he was also still able to support the man 30ft above the ground, knowing that any sudden movement would end in tragedy.
Fortunately his team were able to get the ladder back up and safely cut the man down.
The strength, courage and selflessness of PC Parker caring for the man and saving his life was beyond incredible.
Congratulations to PC Martin Parker.
DC Karen Kerton and PC Trudi May
For more than four decades Timothy Bleach had got away with a catalogue of horrific crimes against Hampshire school girls.
But thanks to the sheer dedication, meticulous detail and personal sacrifice of two officers, his victims finally got justice.
DC Kerton was the case officer for the investigation into historic crimes committed against pupils in a school during the 1970s.
Bleach, 76, was charged with 13 offences of rape and 127 offences of indecent assault and indecency with a child relating to 12 victims.
In December 2016 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
This was a highly complex investigation and without forensic or digital evidence that many cases rely on today, they had to build a compelling case.
Throughout the investigation both DC Kerton and PC May managed the victims’ needs with extreme sensitivity and professionalism, something which received praise from the judge.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Farrell said: “Keeping so many victims on board was a huge achievement, particularly when for many, the impact of the decision to take the matter to court was significant.”
Congratulations to DC Karen Kerton and PC Trudi May.
Police Officer Long Service and Good Conduct Medals 1996
Superintendent Steve Burridge
Cameron McMurchie
Inspector Rob Abel
PC Thomas Light
PC Karen Lockyer
PC Andrew Hammans
Sgt Barry Long
PC Andrew Hewitt
Sgt Christopher Hills
Inspector Andrew Proctor
PC Ian Turner
Emily Moor