Police Bravery Awards 2008 - Region 5 Winner - Thames Valley officer Paul Davies
STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 10 PM THURSDAY JULY 10
NO APPROACH TO BE MADE TO WINNING OFFICER BEFORE 10PM
Thames Valley officer scoops regional bravery award
PC Paul Davies clinched the title at The Dorchester on 10th July in the presence of Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith and a host of celebrities.
The annual awards are organised by the Police Federation of England and Wales and sponsored by The Sun Newspaper.
The officer received one of eight regional awards at the glittering award ceremony which followed a reception at 10 Downing Street where he, and 64 other nominees, met the Prime Minister.
Constable Paul Davies was called by a CCTV operator to investigate suspicious activity in a children’s clothes store in the early hours of a January morning in 2006. On arrival, the officer noticed a man inside the store attempting to rob a child’s amusement ride.
Constable Davies shone his torch at the man and told him to stop what he was doing. The offender started running towards the exit but the officer grabbed him and tried to arrest him for burglary. The man turned very violent and continuously tried to stab Constable Davies with a screwdriver.
The offender then called out for help and to the officer’s surprise, his accomplice showed up and started punching and kicking him. The second offender also had a screw driver but the officer’s protective vest saved him from any serious injury. Constable Davies continued to tackle the men despite the risks of being stabbed in the head or neck. One of the men broke free of the officer’s grip and proceeded to kick and punch him while the other twisted his ear ferociously. The officer managed to tackle him to the ground and grab hold of him again.
Constable Davies, through sheer bravery and determination, managed to keep hold of these violent men until reinforcement arrived. He even managed to arrest them in a composed manner despite suffering multiple injuries to his head and upper body.
Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation which organises the Police Bravery Awards, said:
“This officer deserves the utmost praise for his persistence and professionalism shown throughout this terrifying ordeal. He is a credit to the police service. We hope this award goes some way towards recognising his heroic actions.”
Editor of The Sun Newspaper Rebekah Wade said:
“This police officer faced a terrifying and unpredictable situation. They showed extraordinary bravery in tackling such violent offenders despite knowing one of their colleagues had been shot. Their selfless courage deserves the highest praise and it is an honour for The Sun to have this opportunity to recognise the dedication of such heroic officers.”
NOTE TO EDITORS
For further details, or to arrange an interview with Paul Davies, call Andrew Viney on 01844 264985. No approach should be made before 10 pm.
A video reconstruction and footage of the Downing Street reception and awards ceremony is available from 9am on Friday 11th July by calling Lorna Carmichael on 020 7782 4322.
Photographs of the nominees with the Prime Minister will be available at 9.00 am on Friday 13th July from the Sun picture desk. Contact Adrian Smith on 020 7782 4199.
For further information contact: Rachel Barnet/Una Carney at the Police Federation on 0137 235 2071 or Lorna Carmichael at the Sun Newspaper on 07836 340423.
Click here to download in PDF format