Three Staffordshire police officers who disarmed a 25-stone man who was threatening to harm himself with a knife and then pulled him out of a burning house have been nominated for the national Police Bravery Awards 2021.
PCs Paul Waterhouse, Daniel Woodmansey and Joanne Willis will join fellow nominees from across the country at the awards ceremony in London on Thursday (9 December).
PCs Waterhouse and Woodmansey were called to an address in Parkhall Avenue, Stoke-on-Trent, following a report that a man had been involved in a domestic incident and was spraying whisky around the property with the intention of setting it alight.
On arrival, the situation was further complicated by three dogs barking aggressively at the officers from behind a gate to the side of the property, while they could also see the shape of a fourth through the glass front door.
The dog was let out and ran, barking, towards the officers. PC Waterhouse managed to calm the animal before PC Willis, a dog handler, arrived moments later to take control of it.
Meanwhile, an alarm had been set off inside the property and there was the smell of smoke, so PC Waterhouse used the enforcer to open the door.
Inside they found the man slumped on the living room sofa with a kitchen knife, about a foot long, in his hand and with the kitchen now well ablaze, the officers had to move fast.
PC Woodmansey holstered his Taser and tried to take the knife from the man who then resisted and moved the blade towards his upper body, as if to harm himself.
At this point, PC Waterhouse drew and discharged his Taser, causing him to drop the knife.
“Without the Taser we wouldn’t have been able to take control and take the knife from him,” he said. “Due to the fire, we didn’t have the time to negotiate any longer with him.”
However, the man, who was estimated to weigh around 25st, then rolled onto the floor, jamming his body between the sofa and a coffee table. He refused to stand up and was aggressive.
By now the hall was full of thick, black smoke and the officers began to fearing for their lives as they struggled with the 25st deadweight while engulfed in thick smoke.
PC Waterhouse said: “We had managed to get him halfway down the hall before I could no longer breathe. I let go of him and ran out of the front door, gasping for breath.”
He was followed by PC Woodmansey, who added: “I could feel I was breathing in smoke and felt as though I was suffocating. I feared for my life at that point and so ran out the front door so that I could catch my breath outside.”
The officers then returned to the burning building and, with the help of PC Willis, managed to drag the man out of the front door and to safety.
Glyn Pattinson, secretary of Staffordshire Police Federation, said: “These three officers acted together to save the life of this man, putting their lives at risk while doing so. They are very worthy nominees for the Police Bravery Awards.”
