Cleveland Police officers assaulted by aggressive and violent man in sustained struggle named overall winners at Federation Bravery Awards

3 April 2023

Four Cleveland Police officers who were assaulted by an aggressive and violent man in a sustained struggle – but still made the arrest - have been named the overall winners of the Cleveland Police Federation Bravery Awards.

PC Dan Rooker, PC Mark Insull, PC Chloe Bradley and an officer who asked not to be named beat stiff competition from six other outstanding acts of police bravery in the Cleveland Policing area to win the first ever Federation Award for Bravery.

They will now be the Cleveland Police nominees for the National Police Bravery Awards in London this July.

PC Bradley said: “I was not expecting to win at all. We were just doing our job weren’t we. Everybody here is brave and I’m really proud to work for Cleveland Police.”

PC Rooker said: “He was raining down punches on myself… he was raining down punches on Mark… the biggest thing I take away from this is teamwork. If we weren’t there as a four, I don’t think we would have been able to control him so am pleased that my colleagues were there to assist and help me.

“I’m completely shocked to win the overall award. I’m over the moon.”

At 1am on 18 June 2022, Cleveland Police received a call from a Middlesbrough hotel reporting loud bangs coming from one of its rooms, with an intoxicated man shouting at a woman who was believed to be pregnant.

PC Insull and a colleague attended the scene and the door to the room was answered by a man of large build. A woman in the room was crying and told them the man had not assaulted her but had caused damage to hotel furniture.

The officers told the man he was under arrest for criminal damage and attempted to put him in handcuffs but the man pushed PC Insull away. PC Insull drew his PAVA spray and threatened to use it if the man resisted arrest. He was forced to use it, but it had little effect on the man, who then charged at PC Insull, knocking him to the floor and throwing punches at his head, which started bleeding.

PC Insull’s colleague then struck the man with her baton but to no avail. The man pushed her onto the bed and picked up a chair to continue his assault on PC Insull; he swung the chair at him and PC Insull hit him with his baton. His colleague called for assistance on her radio.

The man ran into the hallway and the female officer sprayed PAVA at him again. At this point PC Dan Rooker and PC Chloe Bradley arrived on the scene. PC Rooker shouted at the man to get on the floor and threatened to discharge his Taser, but the man refused so PC Rooker used his Taser. It stopped him for a moment, but then he pulled a barb out and ran towards PC Rooker, punching him. Several of the punches landed, causing ligament damage to PC Rooker’s hand and arm.

Eventually the officers managed to restrain the man and get him into handcuffs. The man was transported to hospital before being taken into custody. The only injury he sustained was a dislocated finger.

The man was charged with criminal damage and four counts of assault on an emergency worker. He later received a 24-week custodial sentence.

PC Insull said: “When the man threw my colleague to the bed, my heart started to race because I felt: ‘This is it. It’s a small room. There’s nowhere to go and my colleague’s right there’. My concern was for her because she was closest to him. So I had to do something. I thought: ‘He’s got to be arrested. I can’t let him go, he’s done all this.’”

PC Bradley, who had only been in the police for a matter of months before the incident, said: “I’m really proud of myself and I’m really proud of my colleagues. If I’d been there by myself, who knows what would have happened? We stuck together as a team and that strength really got us through.”

Cleveland Police Federation Chair Stephen Williams-Reader said: “What a fantastic celebration of policing our first ever Bravery Awards were, and this quality quartet are very worthy overall winners. They are totally humble heroes.

“These fabulous four officers were genuinely fearful for their safety and their lives but in the finest traditions of British policing, they stepped forward towards the danger.

“It is clear from the body worn video that the offender was enraged and had every intention of seriously injuring our officers.”

Stephen added: “We could not be prouder of their actions – they were in the finest traditions of British policing and it is only right that their dynamic and incredible work that day will now be recognised nationally.”

The Cleveland Police Federation Bravery Awards were held on the night of Thursday 30 March in association with Haighs Law.

Also sponsoring the Awards were Serve and Protect Credit Union, Metfriendly, Niche, No 1 Copperpot Credit Union, Taylor Law, Gallagher and Gisborough Hall.

Pictured from left to right are PC Dan Rooker, PC Chloe Bradley, PC Mark Insull, CPF Chair Stephen Williams-Reader, Matthew Savage from sponsors Haighs Law and DCC Victoria Fuller from Cleveland Police.