(L - R) PC George Proctor and PC Ethan Lang

Two officers have been nominated for National Police Bravery Awards 2023 after intervening in an extremely violent situation that could have been fatal for a member of the public had it not been for their courage and swift action.

PC George Proctor and PC Ethan Lang were called to Saffron Lane in Leicestershire on the morning of 23 August 2021 wherein the offender, Callum McDermott, was attempting to stop moving vehicles and stood in front of a bus.

A taxi driver, Mr Jazoomy, who had his own vehicle kicked by McDermott, had pulled over in an attempt to diffuse the situation. However, he was rounded on by the offender, who had punched him eight times and kicked him 24 times in the head– knocking him to the ground.

Two civilians had intervened to diffuse the situation and prevent further harm to Mr Jazoomy. But their pleas to McDermott failed to change the situation and stop him from inflicting serious injuries to Mr Jazoomy.

Eventually McDermott walked away and the pair attended to Mr Jazoomy until the police and ambulance arrived on the scene.

On arrival the officers were alerted about the location of the offender and the extensive injuries inflicted on Mr Jazoomy.

Realising the perpetrator was violent, both the officers approached him to restrict his movement. This led McDermott to assault PC Lang while he was attempting to handcuff him.

He also punched PC Proctor in the face, fracturing his nose, when he came to assist PC Lang. PC Proctor was later diagnosed with a bruised retina as a result of the assault.

This gave McDermott enough time to break free. As PC Proctor was unable to chase because of his severe injuries, PC Lang initiated pursuit to stall and successfully arrest McDermott.

Undoubtedly, PCs Lang and Proctor did not hesitate to stop a dangerous offender and, despite knowing he was violent, didn’t stop until he was detained – knowing it was highly probable he would have caused more harm to members of the public.

Leicestershire Chief Constable Rob Nixon QPM said: “I am immensely proud in what was a tremendous team effort – from the members of the public who put themselves in danger attempting to deal with this extremely violent male, to the attending officers who secured the suspect despite being assaulted. I support this nomination whole heartedly and they are a credit to Leicestershire Police.”

Adam Commons, chair of Leicestershire Police Federation, echoed the chief constable’s comments. He said: “This is another example of brave officers running towards danger in a fast-moving situation to protect the public. They are a credit to Leicestershire Police and I am proud to be taking them to this year's Bravery Awards.”