Two courageous Staffordshire officers who disarmed a knifeman to save a woman’s life have been named as regional winners at the 2020 Police Bravery Awards.
Sergeant Amos Durose and PC Kristian Avons were presented with the Region 3 award by Kerry McMahon-White, head of partnerships at Police Mutual, sponsors of the event.
They said afterwards: “We feel shocked and overwhelmed to win a national bravery award and we weren’t expecting it at all. It is important to remember this is something we do day in and day out. Officers are performing acts of bravery every single day.”
Region 3 of the Police Federation covers Warwickshire, West Mercia, West Midlands and Staffordshire. A total 93 nominees from 42 forces across England and Wales were honoured at the Police Federation’s Police Bravery Awards which were held in London on Tuesday evening.
Awards were presented by Home Secretary Priti Patel , Kit Malthouse, Minister of State for Crime and Policing, Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds, broadcaster and barrister Robert Rinder, Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association, Martin Hewitt QPM, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, national Federation chair John Apter, Federation vice-chair Ché Donald and Kerry McMahon-White from Police Mutual which sponsored what was the 25th Police Bravery Awards ceremony.
Before the evening awards ceremony, the brave officers attended a Downing Street reception hosted by the Home Secretary and the policing minister.
PS Durose and PC Avons were put forward for the awards after they responded to a 999 call in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, and as they approached the house they could hear a man and a woman shouting, swearing and screaming inside.
Fearing for the woman’s safety, the officers forced their way into the house to find the defendant, who was high on drugs, holding a knife to her throat.
The man ran at the officers and tried to attack them with the knife. They moved out of the bedroom for their own protection as the defendant plunged the blade into the door.
The shouting, swearing and threats to kill continued so, fearing for the woman’s life, the officers returned into the bedroom and found the defendant again holding the knife against the terrified victim’s throat.
The defendant was told to drop the weapon but the woman started screaming even louder and PS Durose believed her throat had been slashed.
PC Avons struck the attacker with his baton and PS Durose then jumped at him, taking hold of him and pushing the woman out of the way.
As PS Durose was fighting with the defendant to try to disarm him he felt numerous blows to the back of his stab vest and neck.
PC Avons hit the attacker with his baton which subdued him and stopped the attack on his colleague. The defendant was then handcuffed. PS Durose and PC Avons were covered in blood and initially thought they had been stabbed but their protective vests had saved them.
The 2020 Police Bravery Awards were postponed last year due to the pandemic.
At the awards ceremony are (left to right) PC Kristian Avons, PS Amos Durose and Kerry McMahon-White from the event’s sponsors Police Mutual.
