Police officers from Leeds honoured for going “beyond the call of duty”
A SUICIDAL man on a roof with a carving knife in his stomach; the victims of a ferocious armed robbery at a supermarket and a person vanished in a remote area.
These are just some of the reasons police officers were honoured for their bravery and tireless dedication, at an awards ceremony in Leeds. ALISON BELLAMY reports.
Those who go “beyond the call of duty” were invited to the Leeds District Policing Awards, held at the Great Hall at the University of Leeds, where a packed venue heard about the somewhat harrowing experiences about the lengths some officers go to, in order to save lives and ensure law and order is upheld.
Among the 33 West Yorkshire Police officers receiving awards were two from Stainbeck station, who were recognised for their part in rescuing a distraught man from a roof in Harehills Lane, in October 2017.
Police Constables Jonathan McGlone and Emily Walker arrived at the scene and were met with a man on the roof of a house.
PC Emily Walker said: “I started talking to him and he was clearly very distressed. Then I saw he had plunged a carving knife into his stomach and was determined to die. He would not come down and we could not reach him.”
PC Jonathan McGlone arranged for a cherry picker to attend the scene. The 40-year-old said: “Fire officers could not go up due to the knife, so it was up to me and Emily. We knew the only option to save his life was for us to get him down.”
Once up there Jonathan unclipped his safety harness and jumped onto the roof to try and grab him.
He said: “He was struggling and we literally bundled him into the cherry picker.”
Doctors said the knife was 2mm from his heart and he was lucky to be alive.
The pair received the Royal Humane Society Committee award for “putting themselves at personal risk, courageously assisting in saving a man’s life.”
Other highlights from the ceremony included an award for Inspector Cheryl Corley, based at Elland Road, who received the award for Outstanding Leadership, presented by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
In her role as force negotiator, her leadership and people skills were recognised “especially as she has mentored her team of sergeants, making them a slick unit who work hard to deliver on a daily basis”.
She said: “It is completely a team effort and everybody works hard. Everyday is completely different and you never know what might happen.”
It was on December 26 last year that police received a report that an 83-year-old man was missing from his care home.
Specialist Mountain Rescue officers helped police during the search near Allerton Bywater near a river and reservoirs. He was located within four hours and found lying on the ground with a head injury.
The rescue officers involved along with PC Craig Lambert received the Partnership award.
Police and Tesco workers Phillipa Beck and Sophie Wood were also honoured after a violent robbery at Tesco Express in Cookridge, Leeds in April 2018. They received a Crime award, recognising the ordeal they had been through and further crime being prevented.
Chief Superintendent Steve Cotter, Leeds District Commander, said: “There is rarely a day that goes by in Leeds where I don’t see some really great examples of our officers and staff going beyond the call of duty to protect the public, tackle crime and keep our communities safe.
“Recognising that excellent work is something we do all year round, but it’s important that we also take the opportunity at our annual awards night to highlight the outstanding contributions.
“It gives me immense pride to hear about staff, volunteers, members of the public and staff from our partner organisations who have made a real difference in protecting people from harm in some very challenging circumstances.
“Their efforts and those we see in policing every day are absolutely vital to the safety of the city, and I’m sure the people of Leeds will want to join me in recognising those receiving awards for their courage, diligence and dedication.”
Leeds District Awards 2019: The winners in full
UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICERS & PCSO’s
(1) PCSO Michelle Owens
(2) PC Adam Baldwin, PC Amanda Bassford, PC Kieran Birdsall, PC Victoria Cazaly, PC Benjamin Higo and PC Jessica Smith
(3) PC Billy Gogarty and PC Andrew Howe.
(4) PC Jonathan McGlone and PC Emily Walker
(5) PC Rose Halloran, PC Nick Robinson and PC Amy Hearne
(6) PC Sarah Greenwood
CRIME AWARDS
(7) DI Ciaran Whoriskey, DS Richard Coulton, PC Craig Stevens, PC Samantha Lee, Sarah Hornby and Graeme Bottomley
(8) DS Richard Coulton, DS David Armstrong, PC Gillian Brammer, PC Craig Stevens, PC Samantha Lee and Christian Stubbs
(9) DS Nick Fisher, DS Kirsty Senior, DC Robert Miller, DC Paul Ashton, DC Anil Lad and PC Joseph Harwood
(10) A/DI Naeem Khan, DC Gavin Keany, DC Darren Machell, Philippa Beck, Sophie Wood and Daniel Johnson
(11) DC Alexa Worsnop, DC Christopher Monaghan, DC Joanne Fenby, DC Zara Finn, PC Mandy Healeas and PC Deborah Box
LEEDS UNIVERSITY - Travis Welsh, Tom Essam, John Haigh and Andrew Hutton
JUDGES COMMENDATIONS
(14) DC Craig Mason and PC Andrew Harley
(15) DC Jessica Sellars, PC Lee Macdonald and PC Page-Marie Rogers
(16) DS Michael Herbert, DS Robert Kennerley, DC Michael Battle, DC Shaun McMonagle, Catherine Lowe and Sarah Blenkhorn
PARTNERSHIPS
(17) PC Daniel Hardt
(18) PC Richard Leach
(19) PC Craig Lambert, Jonathan Ison, Neil Allen, John Wood, Steven Hayes and David Garside
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
(20) Nick Bloxam, Prekash Doshi, Aqeel Babar andTracey McGreavy
(21) Simon Lowe.
(22) Melanie Smith, Tina Riordan, Dr Ian Sanderson and Dr Catherine Lloyd
SPECIAL AWARDS:
OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD - Insp Cheryl Corley
SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH PARTNERS - Kevin Brighton
COMMUNITY AND PARTNERSHIP LEADER OF THE YEAR - Simon Hodgson
TEAM OF THE YEAR
DS Gemma Daley, DC Samantha Itzinger, DC Philip Kirby, DC Ian Duncan, PC Julie Wilby and PC Sarah Haycock
STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD - PC Azhar Laher
SPECIAL CONSTABLE OF THE YEAR AWARD - SSO Alistair McFadyen
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD - Alan Fish
PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE VICTIM’S AWARD - DC Richard Crossland
CRIME INVESTIGATION AWARD
DS Richard Hulme, DC Clare Fisher, DC Emma Hogarth, DC Samanvaya Shukla and DC Tyra Rahim
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO POLICING AWARD - Helen Neal
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR - Hate crime negotiator Kevin Brighton