Two police officers who saved a man’s life say they feel humbled after receiving an award in memory of a police officer who died in the line of duty.
PC James Gill and PC Joe Taylor risked their lives by rushing over to a man who was about to set himself on fire.
The man had just doused himself in petrol and was about to ignite a lighter when PC Gill ran towards him and fought desperately to stop him.
In doing so, the officer also became soaked in petrol and, while wrestling with him, he could feel the tendons in the man’s hand moving as he tried to spark the lighter.
Thankfully, PC Gill and PC Taylor, who bravely came to assist, managed to remove the lighter from the man’s grasp and prevent them all from being engulfed in flames.
Such was their bravery, the two police officers won the PC Ged Walker Award at this year’s Nottinghamshire Police Force Awards, held at the force’s headquarters in Arnold. The award is named in Ged’s memory after he was killed on duty in 2003. The award winner is each year chosen by his widow Tracy Walker.
PC Gill, who is part of the Gedling Response team, said it was a huge honour to win the accolade.
He said: “When an officer joins Nottinghamshire Police you hear the story of Ged Walker and other officers who have lost their lives in the execution of their duty.
“It’s quite a moving thing to think about. We all put ourselves in positions of risk occasionally and there is always the prospect that one of us might not make it home.
“It means a lot to be considered worthy of winning such an award.”
PC Taylor also said he felt incredibly proud to win the award. He said: “It does mean a lot. It means more to me than any other award I could have received. I feel genuinely honoured.”
The incident happened at a property in Gedling in July last year.
Recalling what happened, PC Gill said: “It was dark and we found the man in the back garden with a petrol canister and a lighter. I was negotiating with him but there came a point when he poured the petrol over his head.
“That’s crunch time – either you leave him to set fire to himself, which isn’t an option, or you rush forward and take hold of him. I charged forward as fast as I could, grabbed hold of his arm and that’s when I could feel the tendons working in his wrist and hand as he tried to spark the lighter.
“I could feel the fuel going over me and the wetness of it splashing over my head. It was probably the closest I’ve been to becoming seriously injured for a number of years.”
PC Taylor – who had asked accompanying officers to get some fire extinguishers ready – also rushed over to help.
He recalled: “I remember seeing him trying to activate the lighter and thinking, ‘we’re about to go up in flames – but at least there are people with fire extinguishers behind us’.
“A moment later I was covered head to toe in foam. I’d never felt happier to be freezing cold and soaking wet in the middle of the night, because it meant we were safe.”
PC Gill and PC Taylor were nominated for the award by Inspector Kylie Davies for showing tremendous bravery on the night in question.
Insp Davies said: “The actions of PC Gill and PC Taylor were truly outstanding. Their bravery and determination in the face of life-threatening danger was remarkable and typifies what it means to be a police officer.
“They remained concerned for the man’s welfare throughout this incident and risked their own lives to protect his. By putting themselves in a position where they could have been harmed and didn’t know what the end result would be, they are worthy winners if the PC Ged Walker Award.”
A television documentary highlighting some of the winners at this year’s Force Awards was broadcast in March.
Highlights include the dramatic moment officers finally brought justice to the door of a criminal after more than a decade on the run, the terrifying moment officers put their own lives on the line to save a man covered in petrol, and a look at some of the people with one of the most difficult jobs you can imagine – investigating some of the most serious and devastating collisions on our roads.
Notts Police: Operation 2021, presented by TV and radio host Iain Chambers, was broadcast on Notts TV and can also be viewed here: Notts Police: Operation 2021 – YouTube
THE GED WALKER STORY
On Tuesday, 7 January 2003, a car, previously stolen from the Borrowash area of Derbyshire, was sighted in the Piccadilly area of Bulwell, Nottingham.
The driver of the vehicle abandoned it and fled across the rear of house gardens situated adjacent to the Bulwell Common Golf Course.
A number of police officers including PC Ged Walker attended the scene and commenced a search.
The offender sought refuge in a house, but upon being discovered, used the telephone to order a taxi.
Shortly after 1pm the same day, Ged, accompanied by police dog Kai, saw the offender run from the house in St Albans Road and jump into the driver’s seat of the stationary taxi.
Ged ran to the driver’s door to detain the offender. He reached into the taxi through a partially open window where he attempted to pull the keys from the ignition, but without success.
The offender with total disregard for the safety of the officer, accelerated up the road with Ged still attempting to detain him.
The vehicle reached speeds of up to 30mph before Ged was thrown from the vehicle, sustaining serious head injuries.
