A pair of tenacious Lincolnshire Police constables who rescued children from a house fire have been nominated for the National Police Bravery Awards 2025.

On 14 February 2024 PC Chris Bayes-Walker and PC Danielle Louth were on patrol in Lincoln when they came across a caravan on fire in the garden of a property.

They immediately took action by placing themselves in significant danger, opening the caravan door to ensure no persons were inside.

The caravan was parked in front of the living room of the property, with the flames quickly consuming the windows. A young boy at the scene explained his sisters were inside, but the officers could not raise them.

Again, the two officers bravely entered the property to discover there were children inside asleep, despite the building now being on fire. The children were removed from the property to a place of safety, and nearby residents were asked to evacuate. Thankfully, due to the swift actions of the officers, no one was hurt.

It was unknown if the fire had been deliberately set, so despite the officers having entered the building, they continued their duties in preserving the scene until fire and rescue service colleagues attended.

Lincolnshire Police Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson said: “Danielle and Chris were undertaking high visibility patrols in their local area, providing reassurance, engagement, and deterring crime, when they came across a life-threatening emergency. Were it not for their proactive work in their local community, by the time the alarm had been raised, it may well have been too late

“Chris and Danielle acted with great courage, bravery, and tenacity when entering both the caravan and the building. They did not rest when they realised that the caravan was empty and continued to work to save lives in spite of the treacherous conditions and unprecedented incident which unfolded before them, whilst they were on neighbourhood patrols.”

Lincolnshire Police Federation Chair Helen Stamp said: “I am very proud of both Danielle and Chris and the heroic action they took, in a situation that could have ended quite differently had they not intervened.

“They have shown tremendous bravery. I know they think anyone would have done the same, but this is a powerful example of how our dedicated police officers run towards danger, when others run away, going above and beyond the call of duty to protect the public they serve.”