Brave officers to be recognised

19 January 2026

Brave officers from across the Force area will be honoured at this week’s West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards.

Winners have already been chosen from each LPA and the overall winner of the Brave Officer of the Year will be named at the awards ceremony which will be held at Tally Ho! on Thursday evening.

“This is the third annual bravery awards hosted by West Midlands Police Federation to recognise our brave officers who day in, day out, put themselves in harm’s way to help the communities we serve,” says Jess Davies, branch chair.

“Time and time again, these officers will say they were just doing their job but it really is a job like no other; a job where they turn towards danger while others turn away.

“As a Federation, we want to ensure their bravery and selfless commitment to serve the public is never taken for granted and these awards go some way to doing that.”

The overall winner of the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards will go forward as the branch nominee for the national Police Bravery Awards which will be held in London in the summer.

Nominees from the 43 forces across England and Wales attend a Downing Street reception usually hosted by the Home Secretary before attending a gala awards dinner.

Among the winners of the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards, which are sponsored by Slater and Gordon solicitors, are:

Birmingham LPA 1

PC Aamir Nazir who ended an incident in which a man with mental health issues had climbed a 25-foot tree and refused to climb down for more than seven hours saying he wanted to kill himself.

The man was spitting, kicking, ripping off branches and throwing them towards officers and ambulance and fire teams.

Negotiators had tried everything to coerce him to come down. PC Nazir, who has four years’ service at the time of the incident in July 2025, volunteered to put on fire gear, including a heavy-duty helmet and two harnesses wrapped around him with climbing clips.

He climbed a 14-foot ladder and got hold of the leg of the man who kicked out at the PC, forcing him to take steps to stop them falling. One kick injured the officer’s lip and he was also subjected to racial abuse.

He continued with the rescue attempt and eventually managed to bring him down, even though the man was still struggling and kicking out.

Birmingham LPA 2

PCs Robert Hart and Sanam Hussain entered a hotel where a suicidal man had set fire to his room to ensure that occupants were safely evacuated.

Arriving before the fire service, they went into the building, clearing rooms as they made their way to the fire.

On reaching the floor where the fire had been started, they became aware that it was well established and posed an imminent threat to residents. There was a ring of fire around the door to the man’s room so they forced entry to try to save his life.

Sadly, it was already engulfed in flames and the officers were hit by an intense ball of heat that forced them to withdraw but, despite the heat and smoke, they continued to evacuate people from the building, ensuring no other lives were lost.

Dudley LPA

PCs Luke Johnson and Katie Hadley almost certainly saved the life of a vulnerable, elderly lady from a house fire.

They were on patrol in the Quarry Bank area of Dudley in July 2025 seeking to locate a vehicle stolen in a burglary by a prolific offender when they saw smoke coming from the top windows of a property.

PC Johnson knew the occupant was elderly and deaf so leapt out of the vehicle and ran to the property but found the doors and windows were locked. The smoke alarms were going off but the lady did not appear to be reacting.

They managed to startle the dogs which then made the lady aware of the officers’ presence. She came to the front door but was still unaware of the fire.

The two officers moved her and the dogs to safety and called for the support of other emergency workers.

Due to his previous knowledge of the property, PC Johnson knew there was a chance other vulnerable people could be inside so he went upstairs where the fire was located to search. Once satisfied no one else was in the house, he closed all the doors to try to isolate the blaze.

Sandwell LPA

PCs Harry Simkin and Melissa Smith saved the life of a man being attacked in his own garden by an XL bully dog.

They responded to reports about the incident which happened in West Bromwich on 14 March 2025. They went into the garden next door from where they could see and hear the dog attacking the man who was unconscious. The dog was biting his face and would not back off or let go.

PC Simkin Tasered the dog over the fence which stopped the attack and allowed PC Smith and a member of the public to help pull the man under a fence panel to the neighbouring garden where she could administer first aid including CPR.

PCs Bethany Summers and Francesca Williams then arrived at the scene and helped continue the CPR with firearms officers and paramedics joining them shortly after.

PCs John Cross and Verity Matthews were next on the scene and supported the CPR, defibrillation and life-saving first aid.

Initially when paramedics arrived, the victim’s chances of survival were thought to be very limited but, thanks to the officers’ actions, his condition improved.

 

Solihull LPA

PC Sophie Hooper was single-crewed when she responded to reports of a group of balaclava-wearing males carrying knives chasing a victim in Tudor Grange Park, Solihull on 14 June 2024.

First on the scene and based on the description she had been given, she saw and identified the main suspect who was in possession of a large zombie knife and, without hesitation, engaged in a foot chase.

PC Hooper, who has around five years’ service with the Force, red-dotted the male with her Taser at which point colleagues arrived and arrested the suspect. It transpired a robbery had been committed.

Walsall LPA

PC Mitchell Bull was injured when he was dragged along by an offender’s car.

He was with PCs Steven Kidd and Claire Jevons conducting pro-active patrols in February 2024 when they came across a vehicle parked in Reservoir Place in Walsall. The driver was present and appeared to be asleep, but PC Bull noticed potential drug use forming grounds for a Section 23 search.

The driver, however, having been told of this, put the car into first gear and drove forward, pushing PC Kidd forward and pinning him between the vehicle and the marked police van, leaving him in clear pain.

PC Bull was trapped between the offender’s driver’s door and the vehicle itself but, despite repeated pleas for the driver to reverse the car and release both officers, it was a considerable number of seconds before he did so. As he reversed, PC Kidd was released and PC Bull was dragged along with the vehicle before being released and falling to the ground.

Despite the pain of his injuries, PC Bull got to his feet and put himself in harm’s way as he tried to detain the offender, deploying Taser which was ineffective. The driver, who clearly had no intention of stopping, was able to flee.

PC Bull was left with minor injuries to his lower limbs while PC Kidd suffered serious injuries to both legs as well as mental trauma leading to time off work which significantly impacted his home life.

The offender has since been found guilty of grievous bodily harm and is awaiting sentencing.

Wolverhampton LPA

PS Phillip Auger, PC Keyleigh Bowater, PC Adam Doyle, PC Megan Edwards and PS Ryan Harris, who were Walsall based, tackled an armed offender threatening to kill his mother and attacking her with a large knife.

They were called to the incident in the Springfield area of Wolverhampton due to a lack of resources.

The knifeman had stabbed the woman eight times in her arms and legs, causing deep wounds. She was in excruciating pain and believed she was about to die causing her to fear who would look after her children after she had been murdered.

Despite being in imminent danger, the officers displayed exceptional courage and professionalism in their swift and decisive actions to save the woman and protect her three children.

Her 13-year-old daughter had locked herself in the bathroom so the officers reassured her through the window, while trying to gain entry to the property.

With blood curdling screams from the victim intensifying, PS Harris made the critical decision to break the windows to get into the house. PC Doyle immediately located the suspect, drawing his Taser and giving clear, authoritative instructions leading to the suspect’s safe detention.

Meanwhile, student officer PC Edwards took charge of the victim’s children, ensuring their safety and offering reassurance.

Fellow student officer, PC Bowater helped PS Harris provide first aid for the victim. PS Auger played a crucial role in managing the suspect who it was believed may have taken drugs.

Throughout, PS Harris showed outstanding leadership and, despite sustaining injuries, remained at the forefront of the incident.

The winner of the Sam Hughes Award for Inspiration in Policing will also be presented on the night. This award is given in memory of Sam Hughes, the former deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation, who sadly died in March 2023, aged 53.

Sam joined the Force in 2003 and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She became deputy chair in 2021, shortly before she was given a further cancer diagnosis.

The Inspiration in Policing Award recognises an extraordinary officer whose achievements don’t necessarily fit with a specific act of bravery but who has battled adversity and demonstrated immense moral courage to highlight an issue or make a positive change for the benefit of policing.

The individual awards are sponsored by Warren and Co, Serve and Protect credit union, Bluline, Gallagher, Anns and Grange, Niche Solutions, THB Solicitors, Thomson Financial Solutions and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.