West Mercia officer honoured for off-duty rescue

28 May 2026

West Mercia Police officer PC Oliver Potter says he’s ‘humbled’ to receive a Chief Constable’s commendation from a neighbouring force after saving the life of a motorist.

He was recognised by Gloucestershire Constabulary for coming to the aid of retained firefighter Satnam Singh, who was trapped under a car following a road traffic collision.

Oliver was travelling on the A4019 Tewkesbury Road, close to junction 10 of the M5, when he came across the aftermath of the collision and stopped to help.

Mr Singh had been trying to push his broken down car onto a verge while his wife was steering it when it was struck by a second vehicle.

PC Oliver Potter with Satnam Singh (pic courtesy of
Thousand Word Media Ltd)

Mr Singh was thrown into the air and he ended up underneath his car.

Oliver quickly assessed Mr Singh and found he was breathing but unresponsive.

He said: “We decided not to move the vehicle away from him and await the emergency services as we weren’t sure if he had been trapped or any body parts had been caught in the vehicle at any point.”

However, Mr Singh’s situation deteriorated and he stopped breathing.

Compressions

Oliver and members of the public pushed the vehicle clear before the officer started CPR.

After around 20 chest compressions, Mr Singh began breathing again.

“It was a huge relief,” Oliver said. “Everyone looks at you as a police officer and expects you to know exactly what to do.

“I was in my gym kit, and had nothing with me, just first aid and people willing to help.”

Oliver continued to monitor Mr Singh with help from an off-duty dental nurse until ambulance and fire crews arrived and took over.

Oliver’s actions saved Mr Singh’s life and led to him receiving a Chief Constable’s Public Award at Gloucestershire Police’s Impact Awards ceremony in April.

Reunited

The officer and Mr Singh were reunited at the event.

Oliver said: “We’re friends now. Meeting him again meant a lot.”

In a twist of fate, Oliver’s connection to the family he helped did not end at the roadside. Around two weeks before the awards ceremony, his wife attended a nail appointment only to discover she was sitting with the wife of the man whose life he had saved.

Oliver said: “My wife rang me from the salon and it turned out the person doing her nails was Satnam’s wife.

“Apparently there were a few tears in the salon.”

Despite his award, Oliver remains modest about his role.

“I’ve been in the job 21 years and this is the first time I’ve got an award like this,” he said. “It’s very humbling, but any officer, on or off duty, would have put themselves forward and done the same.”

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