Bravery Recognition for Humberside Police Officers
Two Humberside police officers have been recognised for their bravery after wrestling a man who was threatening to behead his girlfriend.
Two Humberside police officers who wrestled an armed man threatening to behead his girlfriend have been recognised at a ceremony celebrating police bravery.
Constables Mark Hawley and Carol Ashford attended a the 21st Police Bravery Awards in London yesterday.
They risked their lives when approaching an armed man, and were nominated for a Police Bravery Award.
While on duty in Hull, in April 2015, PCs Hawley and Ashford were sent to a report of a man threatening to behead his girlfriend.
They found the man, armed with a rifle, on a busy Hull street. Being a Saturday afternoon, there were members of the public around, and an Easter egg hunt was also happening in a nearby park, so the safety of the public was the main concern of officers.
The officers approached the man, who appeared under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and tried to talk him into putting down his weapon. When that failed, PCs Hawley and Ashford attempted to wrestle the weapon from the man. PC Hawley suffered a fractured jaw as a result of assault by the man and despite having incapacitant spray sprayed in his eyes, the man briefly escaped, but was arrested a short time later in nearby Pearson Park.
Paul Yeomans, chairman of the Humberside Police Federation, said: “Officers Hawley and Ashford displayed enormous courage and bravery, confronting an armed and dangerous man in their attempts to protect the public. By putting the safety of others ahead of their own, these officers have shown their dedication and professionalism to the service, and that deserves the upmost recognition.”
PCs Mark Hawley and Carol Ashford also received a Chief Constables commendation for their bravery from Justine Curran. She said: "Our officers go out on the streets every day to protect the public and they never know what they are going to come up against. I have nothing but admiration for PC Hawley and PC Ashford for their actions on this day and the communities we serve should be reassured that our officers are out there every day, keeping them safe."