Brave officers saved man attacked by XL bully

17 February 2026

One of two officers to win the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Award for the Sandwell LPA says the brave actions for which they were recognised are replicated by other officers on a daily basis.

And PC Harry Simkin, who was presented with the award alongside PC Melissa Smith, said he was incredibly proud not only to receive the award but also to represent all the brave colleagues on his LPA.

“It is fair to say we wouldn’t get through the things we do without the support of each other,” he explained.

Harry and Melissa, who has since emigrated to Australia, were nominated for the award after saving the life of a man being attacked in his garden in West Bromwich by an XL bully dog in March 2025.

“The incident was surprising considering the relatively slow-paced start to the shift we had, which was literally just changing the tyre of the response car as it had a slow puncture. Once we had the tyre changed, we were near enough instantly deployed to the incident from the garage,” Harry said.

“My mind instantly ran through all the possibilities of what we could be about to encounter and, with the live updates coming from the control room that initially an XL bully was ‘mauling’ a man’s face and neck and the male was unresponsive, ARV deployment, AD deployment, it was clear that it was going to be a life or death situation requiring fast action.

“The most important thing to me at the time was protecting the victim of the mauling, Melissa and any other members of the public who may have been at risk from the dog.”

Severe injuries

At the scene, the officers were greeted by members of the public screaming and directing them to help. Looking over the fence from a neighbouring property, Harry could see the dog, stained red with blood, actively latched on to the face and neck of the victim causing severe injuries and leading him to suffering a cardiac arrest.

Harry, who is 25, continued: “It was impossible not to identify the severity of the situation, as well as the need for immediate action knowing specialist units were still a considerable amount of time away. Despite the adrenaline I was feeling, I knew I needed to remain rational and level-headed, as ultimately the responsibility to rescue this male was on me.”

Fortunately, Harry had recently completed his Taser X2 course. It was soon clear that, while they would need to assess the situation on arrival, this training would need to be put into action.

Harry remembers telling Melissa to stay behind him for her safety, adding: “The situation unfolded in such a way as there was no time to actively consider my own safety, as soon as one challenge was overcame, another presented itself.

“My only priority was to stay calm and create an opportunity to rescue the victim so he could be treated. When I deployed the Taser and the dog collapsed, I knew I needed to keep it under the effects until the rescue was completed and it was secured.

“The next challenge was co-ordinating the rescue and ensuring it was safe to do so. I had the idea to lift the fence panel to pull the victim into the neighbouring garden for first aid treatment. I fed this idea to Melissa and, with a member of the public, she managed to lift the panel, drag the victim to safety and immediately begin life-saving CPR.

Support

“The aftermath of what happened was surreal. There were what felt like millions of members of the public watching on, emergency services and specialist units were everywhere, media were present, it was overwhelming. Me and Melissa took the time to check in on and be there for each other due to what we had both experienced. When we deal with incidents like this, I believe it’s imperative to look after yourselves, be there for colleagues and support one another.”

He said: “Due to my faith, I trust that I find myself in the situations that I’m in for a reason. I did what needed to be done at the time and I’m proud I acted as I did. I’m more proud of all my colleagues for their actions. Ultimately, without them, the situation wouldn't have ended as positively as it did.”

Harry thoroughly enjoyed the awards night during which he and Melissa were presented with the Sandwell award by Steve Grange on behalf of sponsor  Anns and Grange Associates.

“It was a brilliant night all in all,” he explained, “It was an opportunity to get all dressed up properly in the tunic, with my wife being able to wear her gown, looking beautiful, and spend a lovely night together – along with our unborn daughter who is due in May - in good company.

“It was a real honour to be presented with the award after such a significant traumatic incident which received a lot of online coverage.

Honour

“It was nice to see the other recipients, I believe two of the winners from other areas, Sophie and Luke, were in my cohort and we went through initial training together. I also spoke with the overall winner (Mitch), as I knew the officer who was seriously injured in that incident very as he helped me get through the aftermath of an open water incident.

“Personally, to win the award for the SW LPA was a huge honour. I do believe this incident was only an example of the bravery that is demonstrated on a daily basis by all other officers.”

Harry has followed in the footsteps of other family members in working within the emergency services.

His Dad and uncle work for West Midlands Fire Service and his Mum worked within the NHS. He admits he didn't always want to be a police officer but loved the idea of being the person to save someone in their time of need.

“I knew the role would be dynamic with lots of options career wise, as well as exciting on a day to day basis,” Harry said.

He has worked in various departments including FCID and the Vehicle Crime Task Force, but most of his time has been spent on response.

Harry adds his bravery award to two Royal Humane Society Awards, one after recovering a child from open water and conducting CPR and the other for the incident with the XL bully.

He is keen to stress that all officers who go attend such traumatic incidents should reach out for support if they struggle to come to terms with what they have seen: “I really would like to say that when people go through traumatic situations like this, it can massively affect you. Please don't suffer in silence. Reach out for support and be there for one another.”