Essex Police officers get pat on back from boss
Chief Constable Commendations recommence after Covid break
Police in Essex are more than just crimefighters - that's the message today from the county's top cop.
For the first time since Covid, Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington's given out commendations to officers from the force who've gone above and beyond.
Some of those who've been recognised by Essex Police recently are:
Tendring children and young persons officer PC Con Bowen who, without hesitation, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a man in cardiac arrest during the first national lockdown in April 2020.
Con was travelling to a youth engagement meeting in Clacton when he came across a car which had collided with a wall. When he went to investigate, Con found an elderly man behind the wheel, who was conscious but not responding. Con called for emergency assistance but, within a couple of minutes, the man stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.
In the midst of the pandemic and without access to personal protective equipment, Con disregarded his personal safety and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived. Hospital doctors later said Con’s early intervention and critical emergency first aid saved the man’s life.
After the man was taken to hospital, Con continued on to attend his meeting.
PC Bowen said: “When the man went into cardiac arrest, I knew I had to get at him properly, so I dragged him out of the car, laid him down and started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
“I didn’t have protective equipment but I thought, if that was my dad or my grandfather, I’d want someone to save them."
PC Scott Dynevor Mead Lewis, PC Tom Whelan-Bassett and PC Luke Salmon, who received bravery commendations from The Society for the Protection of Life from Fire ’in testimony of distinguished conduct’ in saving a man’s life.
Scott heard an alarm going off in a block of flats on 9 November 2019 and reported it to our Force Control Room who alerted the fire and ambulance services. Fellow Colchester Local Policing Team colleagues, including Tom and Luke, arrived quickly in support.
Although the door to the burning flat had been barricaded, Scott managed to break down the door while other team members evacuated residents and ensured they were safe.
Scott was experiencing breathing difficulties because of the smoke so Tom and Luke entered the flat and, after a quick search, located an unconscious man on a sofa. They took him down three flights of stairs to safety and then performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until fire crews and an ambulance arrived. The man was taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged. All three were later treated for smoke inhalation but were back on duty the following night.
PC Whelan-Bassett said: “You don’t actually think, you just go in. I think anyone in our position would have done it but we were just the first on scene.
“We got up the stairs quite quickly, knocked the door in and just went in. Then we did a quick sweep of the flat and found an unconscious man. Thankfully, we managed to get him out safely.
“I was chuffed to receive a commendation but that’s not why we did it.”
PC Salmon added: “I just felt calmness and desperation to get in. You don’t think twice about it at the time.
“It’s very overwhelming to be recognised. I didn’t expect it, it’s just part of the job but for the Chief to go out of his way to recognise our actions makes me feel very proud.”
Whilst PC Dynevor Mead Lewis said: “It’s an honour to be recognised for something which, to us, is an everyday part of our job. It’s why we joined the police, to go to big incidents and save people’s lives.
“We’ve been recognised for it but, ultimately, it was a team effort.”
Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.