National Police Bravery Awards

Four Norfolk officers were nominated for this year’s national Police Bravery Awards for their courage when dealing with a vulnerable man in crisis, armed with petrol and a lighter.

PCs Luchia Blyth and Natalie Smith, Sgt Matthew Bloomfield and an inspector who wishes to remain anonymous were nominated following the incident in December 2022 in Great Yarmouth.

A patient had absconded from Northgate Hospital, jumping from the roof of a hospital building and running away from staff before returning later with a can of petrol and lighter. The man was in crisis and suffering from severe psychosis and had been detained under the Mental Health Act.

PCs Blyth and Smith attended the scene initially and while searching the grounds of the hospital, found the patient on a fire escape access ladder. He was dousing himself with petrol and holding a lighter.

Both officers communicated key information to the control room and established an initial cordon to also protect staff, before calmly talking to the vulnerable man, making negotiation attempts under exceptional pressure.

As the incident unfolded, the offender dangled from the edge of the fire ladder, the platform surrounding it was also soaked in petrol. Threatening to set himself alight and jump, PCs Smith and Blyth continued negotiation attempts, and the man stepped backwards onto a steady surface.

The situation escalated, and the patient climbed down the ladder whilst still in possession of the lighter and soaked himself in an entire can of petrol, threating PC Blyth and Smith he will set himself, and them, alight if they followed him. He walked from the buildings towards the exit of the hospital.

Giving the man some time and space, PCs Blyth and Smith and now Sgt Bloomfield, followed the offender in company with the silver commander, an inspector. A containment was set up around the subject to create a safe working space and officers continued to make attempts to negotiate while tactical plans were put into place to mitigate the risk to the public, officers, and the patient.

The man re-stated his intention to set himself alight at a shopping centre and to set officers alight if they attempted to stop him. He began to head towards a busy shopping area, three days before Christmas.

A tactical parameter was set up, but this was quickly breached. At great personal risk, another officer grabbed the offender’s hand in which the lighter was held and held onto this as hard as he could. The inspector then deployed PAVA to incapacitate the man safely, and with the assistance of PCs Blyth and Smith, managed to seize the lighter. His fuel-soaked clothes were then removed.

The officers involved in this detention also became soaked in fuel from the struggle for the lighter and were at immediate risk of potentially life-changing harm to prevent the subject entering high footfall areas. The patient was moved to hospital by ambulance and was eventually placed in a more secure facility.

Norfolk Police Federation Chair Andy Symonds said: “My colleagues nominated the bravery award are exactly what police officers are all about. They are brave, selfless, and highly professional.

“These qualities are shown in abundance in the incident they were dealing with. They were dealing with a seriously unwell member of the public who had poured large amounts of petrol over himself, had a lighter and was threatening officers.

“They put themselves in harm’s way over a prolonged period so that no innocent member of the public was injured. But the reality was in doing so it meant they were placing themselves in direct danger of being seriously harmed. However due to these officers’ bravery, skill, and professionalism they brought this incident to a safe conclusion.

“It could have easily been that my colleagues could have been in hospital suffering from serious burn injuries. They deserve the nomination and admiration for their brave actions, and I know they have it from me, all colleagues in Norfolk and importantly the silent majority of the public that supports police officers in the work they do. Put simply, I’m super proud of them.”

Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: “These officers acted in the highest traditions of the service to ensure a vulnerable person could be brought to safety. These are the qualities we look for in police officers, they exemplify bravery and professionalism in dealing with such a challenging situation and dealing with someone in a distressing situation as well as keeping members of the public safe.”

The bravery awards were held in London on Thursday (11 July) and the Norfolk officers came runner up, with Lincolnshire winning the regional awards and Met officers receiving the national award.