Mat wins multiple awards after heroic actions saved NHS worker

8 November 2022

A West Midlands Police Federation member who was one of the last police officers to receive a Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) from Queen Elizabeth II has reflected on a year of awards after he saved the life of an NHS worker when he tackled a knifeman outside a hospital.

As well as being awarded a QPM, Mat Evans has also received a Police Bravery Award and a Pride of Birmingham Award, after he helped restrain a man who had stabbed a person in the heart back in 2019.

Mat, who was off-duty at the time and visiting London, spotted the incident unfolding between the offender and a 999 worker outside a hospital, before he positioned himself between the attacker and the victim, ahead of chasing the offender when he ran away.

Within minutes, having caught up with the offender, the pair found themselves wrestling on the ground, with Mat fearing for his life as he was then repeatedly attacked by onlooking crowds. 

“I remember thinking, if it’s not me that this guy is attacking, then who will it be? If I hadn’t done something, then who else could he have stabbed?” said 43-year-old Mat, who has been an officer for 24 years.

“It’s not until after the incident that you think about what could’ve happened. I’d like to think though that 99.9 per cent of officers in my position would do the same.”

Having tackled the offender to the ground, Mat became a victim himself. He explained how dozens had crowded around them, with many kicking and punching him.

“We were basically fighting over the knife, and I was shouting to let the crowd know that I was a good guy and he was the bad guy, thinking that any second now, somebody would help me,” explained Mat.

“I was trying to be as chilled as possible in that situation when all of a sudden somebody kicked me in the head, then there was a punch and I soon realised that it was the crowd who was attacking me.

 “It was the only time in my career that I didn’t just feel scared but I actually felt ‘this could be it’. Nobody was helping me and nobody was coming to help. They were all looking at me but nobody was helping me, in fact, it was the opposite they actually wanted to hurt me. 

“I genuinely didn’t know how long it would go on for.”

Miraculously, as fatigue was kicking in, Mat recalls a man coming over to the attacker and taking the knife out of his hand before running off with it - which, as it transpired, was an attempt to dispose of the weapon.

“It was then that the attacker pulled on my beard - and this is an award-winning beard, he had gone too far,” added Mat.

When the Metropolitan Police turned up, they arrested the offender and explained to Mat that the victim had been stabbed in the heart. The attacker was jailed for a total of 12 years and nine months.

“The fact that the man had survived is a miracle,” Mat continued, adding: “When I heard he had been stabbed in the heart, I didn’t expect him to survive. Fortunately, a doctor had seen the whole event take place, and fortunately being next to a hospital, was able to help him quickly.”

Following the incident, Mat went on to win a the regional Police Bravery Award in 2021, be awarded Pride of Birmingham earlier this year and most recently received the QPM for his courageous and heroic actions.

Being part of this year's QPM birthday honours list meant that Mat was one of the last officers to receive such an award from Queen Elizabeth II before she died in September.

“To be honest, I feel very lucky to be alive, let alone have received these awards,” said Mat, who admits he actually thought it was a phone scam when he was told he had received a QPM.

“I actually feel almost uncomfortable winning these awards because I can think of countless examples of my colleagues, who have demonstrated the same bravery, if not more.

“Of course, it’s been an incredibly humbling year and I am immensely grateful for the recognition.”