Brave West Mercia officers honoured at awards ceremony

18 October 2021

Two West Mercia officers who rescued a vulnerable man from a fast-flowing river were among those attending the 2020 Police Bravery Awards ceremony in London.

West Mercia PCs Lee Phillips and Christopher Donovan were nominated for the awards, which are organised by the Police Federation of England and Wales, after saving the life of a man who had fallen into the River Severn in Shrewsbury in February 2019.

Lee and his wife, Andrea, and Christopher and his partner, Rachel Cooch, attended a reception at Downing Street on Tuesday (12 October) hosted by Home Secretary Priti Patel ahead of the evening awards ceremony where a total of 93 nominees from 42 forces were recognised for their bravery.

Lee, a response officer at Shrewsbury, said afterwards: “I think it’s important to recognise the bravery and sacrifices that police officers across the country make day in and day out. These awards are just the tip of the iceberg for all the amazing acts of courage shown by officers every day. I was honoured to be recognised for this award and humbled to be among so many amazing officers that night. But the fact is, this is our job, it’s what we joined the police to do, and every day we just put on our uniforms and do our best.”

Christopher, who is based at Bridgnorth Police Station, said: “I was very happy to have been nominated for the award. We go to work every day not expecting to be thanked for the job we do. Officers day in, day out go to jobs where we can face difficult situations but we do it because it's the job we joined to do. I would do it all again if I was called on, without hesitation and I'm sure colleagues across the country would do the same.”

The brave officers were joined at ceremony by West Mercia Police Federation chair Sarah Cooper, Chief Constable Pippa Mills and the Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion.

Sarah said: “I’m so glad that the 2020 Police Bravery Awards could finally go ahead in person.  It’s so vital for us to acknowledge the remarkable acts of courage performed by officers like Lee and Christopher.

“I am so proud of them for being nominated and couldn’t ask for better representatives of West Mercia Police. Listening to the stories of the brave acts carried out by officers across England and Wales gave a very timely reminder of all that is good about policing and police officers. Each and every day, they are putting their lives on the line while serving and protecting their communities but all too often their bravery goes unrecognised or it is simply taken for granted.”

Regional awards were presented in all eight of the Police Federation regions before the overall award was presented to PC Stuart Outten of the Metropolitan Police who managed to subdue a suspect who was attacking him with a machete. PC Outten suffered six deep wounds to his head, skull fractures, and two wounds to his arm as well as multiple finger fractures.

National Federation chair John Apter 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 Stuart Outten and all the Police Bravery Awards nominees. They deserve every bit of recognition they receive.”

The Police Bravery Awards are sponsored by Police Mutual. The 2021 awards ceremony will be held in December.