Josh’s bravery is honoured at national awards ceremony

13 October 2021

A Hertfordshire officer who rescued a vulnerable missing woman from a river in the early hours of the morning has been recognised at the national Police Bravery Awards 2020.

PC Joshua (Josh) Darton attended the bravery awards ceremony in London on Tuesday (12 October) and took along his father Andy as his guest.

They were accompanied at the awards ceremony by Geoff Bardell, chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation, which had nominated the brave officer for the award, Chief Constable Charlie Hall and Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd.

Earlier in the day, Josh and Andy attended a Downing Street reception hosted by Home Secretary Priti Patel and policing minister Kit Malthouse along with 92 other nominees from 42 police forces across England and Wales.

They enjoyed seeing the inside of the buildings behind Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street, with the deep sense of history of the two famous black doors.

Josh was put forward for the awards after battling gale force winds and near-freezing temperatures to find a young woman clinging to a steep bank of the River Lea.

Having pulled her from the water, he then carried her in a fireman’s lift for a mile across marsh land to ensure she received medical treatment since the area was only accessible on foot.

The overall national winner of the 2020 Police Bravery Awards was PC Stuart Outten from the Metropolitan Police.

He suffered multiple stab wounds and skull fractures, but managed to use his Taser to disable an attacker who was armed with a machete. In the horrific attack, he suffered six deep wounds to his head, skull fractures, and two wounds to his arm and multiple finger fractures.

John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We have the finest police officers in the world - dedicated public servants who, without hesitation, put themselves in danger to protect others.

“They are humble, professional and committed individuals who I am proud to call my colleagues. Police officers are everyday heroes who are anything but ordinary. My congratulations go to PC Outten and all the Police Bravery Awards nominees. They deserve every bit of recognition they receive.”

The annual Police Bravery Awards, sponsored by Police Mutual, honour some of the finest officers in England and Wales who have performed incredible acts of bravery, while on or off duty. The 2020 awards ceremony was postponed last year due to the pandemic.