Two Hampshire Police officers have been nominated for the National Police Bravery Awards

24 September 2020

Two Hampshire Police Officers who detained a violent burglar - one being stabbed with a hypodermic needle in the process - have been nominated for The National Police Bravery Awards.

PC Christi Hill and her partner PC Tristan Parsons, a PCSO at the time of the incident, were off duty on the evening of 28 October 2018 when they saw a man committing a burglary in a closed hairdressing salon.

As they approached, they could see he had smashed his way into the property using a golf club. Broken glass from where he had got into the premises lay all over the floor.

The officers quickly assessed the situation and attempted to detain the man who by now was threatening members of the public with the golf club as he tried to leave the salon.

The officers had to struggle with the suspect to disarm him, and they ended up rolling around in the glass before a member of the public came to assist them.

As the melee continued, the man stabbed PC Hill in the finger with a hypodermic needle he had concealed. Chillingly, as did so, he shouted that he was ‘infected with HIV’.

The PCs and the member of the public who was also injured in the incident eventually managed to get the man under control and he was arrested.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield said the duo were worthy bravery nominees. “Once again this incident shows how police officers are truly never off duty. Christi and Tristan ran towards the danger and had to act quickly to detain this man,” she said.

“They had no personal protective kit and no immediate recourse to back-up so to stop this incident from becoming much worse is a real credit to them and in the finest tradition of British policing.  

“As a Federation and as a force, we are very proud of them.”

The National Police Bravery Awards honour officers from across England and Wales who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.

As nominees, PC Hill and PC Parsons will attend a prestigious daytime reception and evening awards ceremony in London in July 2021. The 2020 event – the 25th National Police Bravery Awards - had been scheduled to take place this past summer but had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus.

Nevertheless the Police Federation of England and Wales wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the fantastic work of all 94 nominees from across the country online from today (September 24).

John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the nominees from across England and Wales. The actions of these courageous officers provide a small snapshot of the amazing work our colleagues carry out day in and day out.

“Police officers are never off duty. PC Christi Hill and PC Tristan Parsons deserve full credit for apprehending this dangerous man and keeping the public safe. As a proud Hampshire Police officer myself, I am delighted at their nomination. What heroes.

“As a Police Federation, we wanted to make sure these brave officers received the recognition they deserve in the year their actions were meant to be celebrated. And we look forward to seeing them all in person – and revealing regional and national winners - when the time is right in 2021.”

The National Police Bravery Awards are sponsored by Police Mutual.

John Perks, Chief Executive Officer of Police Mutual, said: “Police Mutual is, as always, proud to be supporting the National Police Bravery Awards in its 25th anniversary year. Despite having to postpone the original ceremony, the officers’ courage has never been forgotten – they all showed commitment to keeping the public safe in the most demanding of circumstances.

“We very much look forward to meeting all the nominated officers in July 2021 for the ceremony, and our chance to give our thanks in person.”