Bravery awards: a day of lasting memories

13 July 2026

West Midlands Police Federation’s nominee for this year’s national Police Bravery Awards has spoken of his pride at being able to represent the brave men and women who day in, day out put their lives on the line to serve their communities at the prestigious annual event.

Sergeant Mitchell Bull attended the awards with his wife, Jessica, and their seven-month-old daughter, and said the highlight of two days in London was being able to get a photo with his family outside the famous black door of Number 10 Downing Street.

“I will never forget that moment as long as I live,” he explained.

Appreciated

Mitchell said the whole experience of attending the awards, which are organised by the Police Federation of England and Wales and sponsored by Police Mutual, was highly enjoyable, adding that he was made to feel very welcome and appreciated and singling out Chief Constable Scott Green for spending time with him and his wife during the awards night.

Arriving in the capital the day before the awards, Mitchell and West Midlands Police Federation branch chair Jess Davies attended an afternoon tea at the Houses of Parliament.

“We were given plenty of cakes and sandwiches while guest speakers relayed speeches of appreciation,” Mitch explained, “We were made to feel like celebrities, it was very posh.”

The next day, Thursday (9 July) Mitchell and his family joined other nominees at Downing Street which he said was a surreal experience: “It was very grand inside and out. The gardens where we had our second afternoon tea were stunning and the sun was shining throughout. A selection of canapés were brought out regularly, so we were definitely well-fed! My baby was smitten with the famous Downing Street cat, Larry, so I think that was her highlight.

“While at Downing Street the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood gave a really appreciative speech.  We also met with the national chair of the Police Federation, Tiffany Lynch. Both were such nice people and very down to earth; they made us feel very welcome.

“Our little one met some other young friends while at Downing Street which kept her happy. There were at least two other babies present, and they were babbling away which was very cute.”

Inspiring

During the evening reception, Mitchell and Jessica heard the inspiring stories of other brave officers from across England and Wales, and he tried to congratulate as many of the winners as he could.

While awards were presented to winners in all seven regions as well as an overall winner, there were also awards for an Inspiration in Policing and the Heart of Policing during an evening which included a three-course meal.

“The food was exceptional,” said Mitchell, “Having dinner with the Chief Constable was pretty surreal. He was really appreciative of my efforts and was very down to earth still thinking of himself as a street cop.

“It was great being able to speak with him regarding various topics and was very enlightening to hear what a typical day is like at that rank. I really appreciated the Chief Constable being there with my family. He made plenty of effort and showed a lot of interest in us all.”

Mitchell concluded by remembering the incident that led to his nomination for the Police Bravery Awards.

Thanks

“I just want to thank everybody again who helped me through the dark times that led to this award, their support was second to none and thank you to everybody involved in putting these award ceremonies together.

“It’s a really nice way to celebrate the efforts of those involved when attending daunting and horrifying incidents.

“I am truly proud to have represented West Midlands Police at this year’s national bravery awards, and I hope I have made my colleagues, family and friends, and the general public proud.

“Excellent work happens every day across the country by brave men and women wearing this uniform, it felt great to represent them.”

 

‘This is the most traumatic incident I have had to deal with’

Mitchell Bull went forward to the national awards after winning the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Award earlier this year.

As the overall winner, he was presented with the David Green Shield at the local awards which were sponsored by Slater and Gordon.

His nomination 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 in February 2024.

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.”

Accelerated

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.

“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.”

Taser

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.

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.

Promotion

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.

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.

Nominate a colleague for the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards 2027.