Brave officers recognised at national awards ceremony

13 October 2021

Two Suffolk police officers who rescued three terrified children from a house in which a “crazed” gunman had wreaked havoc and was threatening to kill them have had their courage recognised at a glittering ceremony in London.

Thinking they were on a routine call to a domestic disturbance, PCs Pete French and Jordan Tuck found themselves at the centre of a major incident and having a loaded shotgun pointed directly at them by an agitated man.

The pair managed to lead three frightened children and one adult to safety before returning to deal with the gunman, who according to one of the children had said he “was going to kill them all”.

Their bravery, alongside that of 91 other nominees from 42 forces across England and Wales, was recognised at the Police Federation’s 2020 Police Bravery Awards, held at a London hotel on Tuesday (12 October).

Earlier the officers were welcomed to a Downing Street reception hosted by the Home Secretary, Priti Patel.

“I was very proud to accompany our brave officers to the awards,” says Ben Hudson, secretary of Suffolk Police Federation, “The Police Federation was forced to cancel last year’s ceremony due to the pandemic so it was particularly pleasing to be able to celebrate their exceptional bravery at a real live ceremony at last.

“Our two nominees, like all the other officers I spoke to and heard from at the event, have really played down what they did, saying they were just doing their job but in just doing their job they put their lives at risk to protect others and that is something which is commendable. Policing is a dangerous job but these two brave officers on finding themselves facing an incredibly frightening situation simply got on with what they had to do to save three children.”

During the incident, in Great Cornard near Sudbury, they were confronted by the gunman, to whom they gave clear commands to drop the weapon only to be met with hostility.

After leading the family to safety, the constables kept the gunman under observation from inside the house as they awaited support from armed police.

The man tried to smash his way in, using the butt of his shotgun on the patio doors, before dousing the garden shed in petrol and setting it alight. The blaze was quickly out of control with 20ft flames spreading to neighbouring properties.

The man then crouched behind a hedge with his shotgun pointed towards the house. PC French advised the control room that, due to the unpredictability of the male, there should be no sirens when back-up arrived and that no one should enter the garden.

But, while awaiting support, the officers noticed the man had lowered his gun and seized the opportunity to arrest and handcuff him.

Suffolk falls into Region 4 for the awards, also covering the police forces of Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

The regional winner was PC Geoff Marshall of Derbyshire Police, who helped to prevent a dam at Toddbrook Reservoir from collapsing and overwhelming the town of Whaley Bridge below.

The overall national winner 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.”