Brave officer ‘humbled’ by award

29 January 2026

The winner of this year’s West Midlands Police Federation Police Bravery Award has admitted he felt flattered and humbled to have won his area award let alone be named as the overall winner.

Temporary Sergeant Mitchell Bull was presented with his two awards at last week’s bravery awards evening which was held at Tally Ho.

As the West Midlands Police Brave Officer of the Year he was presented with the David Green Shield.

The shield is named in honour of PC David Green, who was stabbed to death by a mob in Birmingham city centre when he was 20-years-old. In David’s 15-month career, he was commended three times for his bravery.

Mitchell will now go forward for the national Police Bravery Awards which will be hosted by the Police Federation of England and Wales in London during the summer.

Overjoyed

Mitchell, who attended the awards with wife Jessica Newman-Bull, explained: “To win the overall award was completely unexpected and I am overjoyed. I am so thankful for the nomination and the vote of the relevant parties. 

“A highlight of the evening was hearing first-hand the courageous acts the other nominees were recognised for; it made me feel proud to do the job I do.

“The evening was a great opportunity to highlight the positive work officers do each and every day, and provided a positive spin of appreciation for often traumatic events. 

“I spoke with a few of the nominees throughout the course of the evening and congratulated them for their courageous acts.”

His nomination for the awards, which are sponsored by Slater & Gordon solictors, came after he and PCs Steven Kidd and Claire Jevons came across a vehicle parked in Reservoir Place while they were conducting pro-active patrols in Walsall February 2024.

Risk to the public

The driver was present and appeared to be asleep. Mitchell, who noticed potential drug use forming grounds for a Section 23 search, explained: “I wanted to speak with the driver to ensure he was okay, and only suspected he was under the influence of illegal drugs when he woke up and put his window down.

“I suspected he presented a risk to the public if he was under the influence of an illegal substance in a motor vehicle.”

Mitchell, who is 32, remembers nodding to PC Kidd when he was not happy with the driver’s account and could see he was coming to his aid and getting out of the police vehicle,  but his attention was then on the driver.

“It was only when I tried detaining him and he had refused to place his hands in front of him that he accelerated forward trapping PC Kidd, and my left leg got trapped in the driver’s door by the impact of the collision between the two vehicles. It was a surreal experience and I felt completely helpless,” Mitchell continued.

“As the car continued to rev, I felt the pressure getting tighter around my left leg, I thought PC Kidd and I were in serious trouble.

Instinctive

“My efforts within the vehicle were proving to be ineffective so I pleaded with the driver and thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, he reversed the car dragging me with him.

“When I was laying in the road, I thought the car was going to run me over, so I limped to the pavement to get out of its way. When I could see the driver was struggling to move off, my instincts to apprehend him for several assaults and traffic offences kicked in. This was simply second nature and I am sure the vast majority of officers would have done exactly the same.”

Mitchell tried to use his Taser but could only connect with the offender’s arm and therefore did not incapacitate him, allowing him to get away.

Despite his own injuries, Mitchell limped over to see PC Kidd on the pavement in significant pain being helped by PC Jevons and helped with first aid while awaiting an ambulance.

Mitchell suffered ligament damage to his left leg and superficial grazes across his body, leading to him being off work for almost a month and then on restricted duties for several months while making a full recovery.

Serious injuries

PC Kidd suffered serious injuries to both legs as well as mental trauma leading to time off work which significantly impacted his home life.

“This is the most traumatic incident I have dealt with as a police officer. What I initially deemed as a routine traffic stop turned into a high-risk traumatic incident that put the lives of several officers at risk. It shows how dangerous our jobs can be at a moment’s notice,” Mitchell said.

Luckily, the information the officers gathered for the major crime team and several other supporting units helped locate the driver who has now been sentenced to a total of five years and seven months in prison for multiple counts of assault and drug supply offences. 

Mitchell wanted to be a police officer from the age of 16 so he could help people in need and tackle serious criminality. He has served with West Midlands Police since April 2022, having joined the Metropolitan Police in November 2016, and has carried out various roles within the Force including being a constable on a priority crime team in Walsall prior to moving to the SOCEx team on the same LPA.

Supervisor

Mitchell acted up for more than six months while completing the promotion process and has now been posted as a supervisor to Stechford Response Team E where he is enjoying the variety the role provides.

In July, he and Jessica, who is also a serving officer with the Force, will join other nominees from across England and Wales at the national awards ceremony which is usually preceded by a Downing Street reception hosted by the Home Secretary.

“I am really looking forward to attending the national awards and to hearing more about the incidents for which the other brave officers have been nominated,” Mitchell said.

“I feel very flattered and proud to be the West Midlands Police representative at this event.”

But he is also keen to pay tribute to other officers: “I am really grateful for the support I received from my colleagues on the day of the incident and the time that followed. My family and I will never forget their efforts in helping me and my colleagues in our time of need and securing a conviction against a dangerous offender.”