Officers Bravery Awards

COURAGEOUS Police officers who bravely disarmed a volatile man brandishing weapons during a “terrifying” incident in Rayleigh have been recognised by the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

PC Emily Stokes, PC Rosie Daltrey and Special Constable Mark Lane attended an incident on May 27 last year, and were met with the man in mental health crisis.

Being directed to the garden where the man was standing with members of his family, the officers witnessed him shaking, whilst sharpening tools, before going into a shed where there we more potential tools.

The man was seen picking up what looked like a gun, cocking it and placing it down the back of his trousers. This prompted PC Stokes to draw her Taser and take aim at the man, while shouting commands at him.

PC Stokes explained: “As I’ve looked down to speak on my radio to ask for his checks to come back, to find out who’s in front of me, I’ve heard what I describe to be a gun cock. The second the gun cocked I knew that my colleague next to me was unarmed so I drew my Taser.

“The gentleman had what I describe to be a handgun, from first appearance.

“I genuinely thought, ‘My mum’s going to get a knock on the door and say I’m not coming home’.”

With no other options left, PC Stokes deployed her Taser, successfully incapacitating the man temporarily.

This allowed PC Daltrey, along with SC Lane – who had been inside the house with the family – to disarm him and secure the weapon.

They then gathered the necessary medical supplies as a precaution and treated the suspect calmly and respectfully.

SC Lane said: “I heard Emily out in the garden, shouting for the male to put the weapon down, at which point I’ve walked out into the garden and heard Emily shout, ‘Taser, Taser, Taser’, and she Tasered the male. And as I’ve gone over, it’s transpired that he’d cocked what we believed at the time to be a viable firearm.”

Following their bravery and resourcefulness, the three officers will now attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

On winning an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award, PC Daltrey, who is relatively new to the service, added: “It’s nice to be recognised for mine and my colleagues’ work. We all work good as a team, so it’s nice that we got recognised for it.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said: “This was a truly terrifying incident, where Emily, Rosie and Mark believed their lives were in danger.

“These officers confronted the threat head-on, showing immense bravery and professionalism.

“They also ensured the man was safely subdued and no one was hurt. We are very proud of their actions.”

Read more.

Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news

Contact us. Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news

Twitter: @leighonsea_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighonsea.news