South Worcestershire Officers And Staff Commended

Police officers and staff from across south Worcestershire gathered at West Mercia Police headquarters on Wednesday 30 November to receive awards for their excellence and bravery.

All received commendations from local policing commander, Superintendent Stephen Cullen. Afterwards, he said: "It is an enormous privilege and pleasure to be able to present awards to my officers and staff. 

"Much of policing can be mundane, however these awards have been given for acts of bravery, courage, meticulous investigation and community engagement to colleagues who all have something in common: a willingness to help others and go that extra mile. 

"Despite being a police officer for almost 20 years, I never fail to be inspired by events such as this."

(L - R) DC Kirsty Hickling, DC Matthew Cartwright, DC Craig Osborne, DS James Bayliss, DI Jon Wallis and CSO Mark DodkinDetective Inspector Jon Wallis, Detective Sergeant James Bayliss, Detective Constable Matthew Cartwright, DC Craig Osborne, DC Kirsty Hickling and CSO Mark Dodkin were commended for their roles in the investigation into a series of violent robberies in the Warndon area of Worcester that led to two men being jailed for nine years.

The robberies, which took place in February and March 2011, saw elderly people targeted in their homes while further random robberies also occurred in the area.  A concerted effort by Worcester CID was put into investigating these serious offences.

Then, on the 1 March, a woman was assaulted in her home at Warndon by two men, who stole her handbag and the victim suffered bruising and a black eye.  She also suffered a heart attack the day after the robbery. 

One of the offenders was recognised by an eye witness and he was subsequently arrested, which led to him being investigated for his involvement in the earlier robberies.

As a result of the considerable efforts of the investigating officers, a second suspect who was also arrested, an in-depth file of evidence was built and the men were charged with a number of offences by the CPS.

Paul Sheward and Luke Sargent later appeared at Worcester Crown Court where they pleaded guilty and were sentenced to nine years each in prison.

This was a complex and challenging investigation into serious offences, which had a major impact upon the local community.  The efforts of the whole team in identifying those responsible and bringing the offenders to justice went a long way to protecting and reassuring the public.

DI Jon Wallis, as senior investigating officer, and DS Jim Bayliss led the team of investigators, who all contributed considerable time and effort to achieving a successful conclusion. CSO Mark Dodkin was also commended for provided crucial assistance to the investigation in terms of his knowledge of the area and of the suspects.

Sergeant Simon Arinze and Acting Sgt Alastair Catherwood On the 7 November, 2010, Sergeant Simon Arinze and Acting Sergeant Alastair Catherwood attended an address in Malvern to help paramedics gain entry so they could deal with someone who had collapsed in the bathroom.

On arrival they found that the single responder paramedic had already managed to enter the house and was tending to a man in cardiac arrest who was unconscious and not breathing. Sergeant Arinze immediately began CPR while the paramedic administered adreneline.  Sergeant Arinze and PC Catherwood then between them took turns to administer chest compressions and give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while the paramedic continued with intravenous injections.

The casualty was shocked four or five times with a defibrillator and as a result he was making laboured but encouraging random efforts to breath himself.  An ambulance arrived and the threesome continued to work on the casualty whilst he was lifted on to a stretcher, taken to the ambulance and then throughout the journey to hospital. 

From their arrival at the scene to the patient being delivered at A&E, Sgt Arinze and PC Catherwood had worked on him for 45 minutes and thanks to their efforts and that of the paramedic, the gentleman survived.  Had it not been for their decisive actions, the outcome could well have been different.

Special Constable Christopher Francis with Supt Stephen CullenSpecial Constable Christopher Francis was on patrol with a colleague on 29 April 2011 when they were directed to attend a report of a drunk and aggressive man outside the Royal Oak Public House in Leigh Sinton. 

As they arrived, SC Francis noticed that the man was bleeding profusely from a significant injury to his wrist.  The man was very anxious and verbally aggressive and it was established he had been involved in an argument in the pub and as he left he had punched the porch window. 

The broken glass had cut deeply into his wrist and hand causing arterial bleeding. SC Francis radioed for medical assistance and immediately went to the man to calm him and administer first aid despite being understandably apprehensive about his volatility.

However, he realised that if he did not render help there was a real possibility that the man could bleed to death and he applied pressure on the wound, stemming the blood flow until paramedics arrived on the scene. They later said that SC Francis's actions had undoubtedly contributed to saving the man's life.

CSO Anna Miller with Supt Stephen CullenCommunity Support Officer Anna Miller was commended for her calm, caring and professional manner in dealing with a distressed and mentally ill woman in November 2010.

On Sunday 14 November, a Polish lady was detained by police officers under the Mental Health Act and she was extremely distressed and clearly mentally unwell.

She could speak no English and was clearly frightened of the officers but unable to communicate with them, or vice versa, which increased her distress.

CSO Miller, a Polish speaker was initially requested to speak with the woman to allay her fears and that no harm would come to her.  She then acted as translator for the mental health team, acting in a calm, caring and professional manner during an assessment that lasted for some considerable time. 

Without her assistance and repeated reassurance of the woman throughout this traumatic experience, it would have been extremely difficult for the woman to be properly assessed and receive the help she needed.  The consultant psychiatrist later wrote a letter of thanks for her assistance and support.

Acting DS Mark Morton with Supt Stephen CullenActing Detective Sergeant Mark Morton. On Sunday 13 June 2010 officers responded to a report of a motorcycle on fire in Glenthorne Avenue.  On arrival they found that a number of wheelie bins were also on fire and the Fire Service were called to attend.

Officers then noticed black smoke billowing from the direction of Tolladine Road and immediately made their way there to find flames engulfing the front porch of a house.

Fire and police officers evacuated adjacent houses whilst fire officers dealt with the fire.  Whilst at the scene, officers saw smoke coming from other locations nearby where wheelie bins had been set alight. 

In all 14 separate fires had been started, and the Tolladine Road incident was potentially very serious. 

27-year-old Matthew Thompson was seen outside the house and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. Then Detective Constable Mark Morton was the officer in the case and faced limited evidence to prove Thompson's involvement, and indeed he initially stated he was there to rescue residents.

However, as a direct result of DC Morton's excellent interviewing skills the suspect admitted starting the fires and was charged with arson with intent to endanger life.  He subsequently pleaded guilty and received a four-year custodial sentence.

Issued: Monday 5 December 2011