Two brave Bedfordshire Police officers are set to meet the new Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday when she is expected to host her first Downing Street reception for the national Police Bravery Awards.
The Home Secretary, who becomes PM tomorrow evening, is scheduled to welcome all nominees for this year’s awards to the traditional reception at No 10 and among them will be Bedfordshire’s Sergeant Paul Chadwick and PC Owen Webb who tackled a woman who wanted to blow up her home.
“The bravery awards are a highlight of the policing year so it seems quite fitting that the new PM will take over on the eve of the ceremony. As Home Secretary, Theresa May has presided over major reforms in policing so it will be interesting to see what she has in store for the police service when she takes over as Prime Minister,” says Emma Carter, secretary of Bedfordshire Police Federation which nominated the two officers for the award.
On 29 May 2015 police were called to reports of a woman who was reportedly barricading herself in her flat and threatening to blow it up with gas. She had also stated she had ‘booby trapped’ her home with electrical cable, by attaching this directly to the fuse board, pouring accelerant everywhere within the house and the front door and attacking her gas main.
On arrival officers could smell white spirit or petrol coming from the letterbox and therefore started to evacuate adjoining flats. After initially engaging with the woman through the locked door but then getting no response, they suspected her to be self-harming or trying to kill herself by hanging. Other officers tried to force entry via the rear door which was now on fire but it had been barricaded.
At the same time officers saw smoke coming from the letterbox and heard the smoke alarm go off. Flames were then seen at the front door too. Officers smashed down the front door which was also barricaded. The front door was on fire and the curtain on the door was fully ablaze.
PC Webb and Sgt Chadwick ran into the flat through the flames, despite the danger to themselves, the strong smell of accelerant - yet to ignite – and smoke everywhere.
Other officers outside ran for fire extinguishers, while others put the flames out. When the woman was found, she attacked officers and had to be Tasered and sprayed with Pava spray because she was resisting help. She had to be handcuffed and forcibly removed from the property to safety.
Jim Mallen, chair of Bedfordshire Police Federation, said: “This was a highly dangerous incident which forced these officers to take the brave decision to risk their lives to save this woman from what could have been a very different outcome.”
After the Downing Street reception, the brave officers will attend an awards ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel.
