Brave police officers ran into live motorway traffic to save a man who was trying to kill himself have been named winners of a Bravery Award at Avon and Somerset Police Federation’s inaugural Recognition Awards

8 October 2024

Two officers who ran into live motorway traffic to save a man who was trying to kill himself have been named winners of a Bravery Award at Avon and Somerset Police Federation’s inaugural Recognition Awards

On 28 May 2023, Sgt Nick Dalrymple was dispatched to reports of a possibly suicidal man on an M5 road bridge. When he arrived, he found the man on the road, walking into oncoming traffic. Sgt Dalrymple called the control room for an immediate closure of the M5 in both directions and requested further units.

PC Mitch Raymond was off-duty at the time and was driving home from work. He pulled over on the hard shoulder after being forced to swerve.

He put himself back on duty to assist with the incident. Both Sgt Dalrymple and PC Raymond had to enter a live lane of traffic to chase after the man, as it appeared he was trying to take his own life.

Neither officer had been trained to do this.

Sgt Dalrymple told the man he was a police officer, but the man didn’t stop. The officer needed to take control of the man for his own safety and that of others, so he deployed PAVA spray and arrested the man for obstruction of a highway.

Back-up arrived at the scene to close the road, which enabled the officers to bring the man across to the hard shoulder to a safe place.

The man received the care he needed and was later able to go home and see his family.

PC Raymond recalled: “The adrenaline took over and we didn’t realise how dangerous it was until afterwards, reflecting on the incident. But ultimately we have a job that we have to do, and we’re here to save lives.

“Receiving this award is a proud moment – it’s nice to be recognised for the work that we do. This incident was the first time that Nick and I ever crossed paths, and now we’re good friends.”

Sgt Dalrymple and PC Raymond were Avon and Somerset Police Federation’s nominees for this year’s National Police Bravery Awards. In July they attended 10 Downing Street, followed by an evening awards ceremony.

Sgt Dalrymple said: “It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Home Secretary was incredibly supportive of the police service and assured us that she values us and is invested in our wellbeing. The awards ceremony was also extremely humbling, as we heard the amazing accounts of heroism displayed by our colleagues across the breadth of the UK.”

Avon and Somerset Police Federation’s Acting Chair, Iain Prideaux, said: “Both Nick and Mitch went above and beyond their daily duties to tackle this highly intense incident and ensure that the man was brought to a safe place.

“Thanks to the heroic actions of these officers, the man was able to receive the help he needed. The motorway is a dangerous road network and the officers put their own lives in harm’s way to ensure the man was safe and that no members of the public were harmed.

“We are very proud of them both.”

Sgt Dalrymple and PC Raymond will attend the Avon and Somerset Police Federation Recognition Awards on Thursday 3 October.

The lead sponsor for the Awards is the ASPF Group Insurance Scheme.

Also sponsoring are Serve and Protect Credit Union, George Burrows, Niche, Uniform Mortgages, Warren & Co, The Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Accord, The Avon and Somerset Police Benevolent Fund, Pointers Financial and Bluline.

The hashtag for the event is #ASPFAwards.