Outstanding police officers celebrated at first ever Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards

THE outstanding bravery of 28 Essex Police Officers who faced danger head on to tackle armed criminals and save lives have been celebrated at the first ever Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

Overall winners for both 2020 and 2021 Awards were announced at the event at Boreham House in Chelmsford and they will now be the Essex Police Representatives at the National Police Bravery Awards in London this October and December.

Winning the 2020 Award [delayed from last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic] was a Police Sergeant who was stabbed 11 times at his front door during an attack – but still courageously managed to apprehend the perpetrator and ensure he could not hurt anyone else.

The Sgt who cannot be identified received a standing ovation from colleagues as he received his Award on Thursday night – from Chief Constable BJ Harrington and Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie.

He suffered horrendous injuries during the incident at his home in April 2019 but despite this the officer has returned to work and continues his career.

Then the man knocked on the officer’s door on April 24  2019, at around 9pm. He launched into the terrifying attack as the officer – who was off duty – came to see who it was.

Incredibly despite terrible injuries from the stabbing and slashing, the officer managed to fight back, tackling the man to the ground before he jumped on his back to restrain him.

The officer’s wife, sons and neighbours tended to the horrific injuries to his arm, armpit, shoulder, chest, abdomen and stomach he had sustained and helped to detain the man before police colleagues arrived.

The attacker, John McCartney from Rayleigh, Essex, admitted charges of attempted murder and possessing an offensive weapon after slashing the officer 11 times. In March 2020, he was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act at Basildon Crown Court.

Winning the overall 2021 Award was PC Mason Doyle. This courageous Essex Police officer doggedly refused to let a criminal get away despite being punched, kicked and bitten by the man who also repeatedly tried to gouge his eye out.

The horrifying assault by a former semi-professional boxer left courageous PC Doyle with a gashed head, concussion and a nosebleed. But he showed huge bravery in repeatedly denying the wanted man his escape

It was in March 2019, when PC Doyle was helping CID colleagues to bring in a suspected burglar in Tilbury when the wanted man jumped from the first-floor window of his house into a neighbouring garden, dressed only in his boxer shorts.

PC Doyle had positioned himself at the rear of the man’s property and could see him running off into a road before giving chase.

He had to get over fences and a large garden fence to keep up with the man who he eventually found cowering under some bushes.

As PC Doyle began to radio in that he had found the man, the culprit set upon the officer and assaulted him by kicking, punching and biting him. As the pair wrestled, they fell through a brick garden wall and crashed down among the bricks on the ground.

Terrifyingly the man then got two fingers and dug them into PC Doyle’s eye socket in a sickening attempt to gouge his eye out. He also grabbed PC Doyle’s radio, smashing it in the process, meaning the officer could not call for back-up.

The man then attempted to flee over a nearby fence before being pulled back down by PC Doyle. The man again tried to gouge out PC Doyle’s eye before colleagues finally located them and came to assist their colleague.

He rugby tackled the man to the ground to get him under control. The offender Zach McCarthy was sentenced to eight months in prison for the attack.

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said all the officers who were recognised on the evening were worthy of their recognition, leaving the judges with a really hard task of choosing overall winners.

She added: “Every day from Clacton to Chigwell, from Southend to Saffron Waldron, Essex Police officers are out there working incredibly hard to keep people safe.

“All 28 police officers recognised at our Awards are complete heroes. On duty and off duty they confronted extreme danger and not only saved peoples lives but kept the residents of Essex safe.

“Both our overall winners stopped their attackers from harming anyone else but also ensured their attackers could be brought to justice.

“We could not be prouder of their actions – they were in the finest traditions of British policing and it is only right that their dynamic and incredible work will now be recognised nationally.”

The awards, which were attended by senior officers, colleagues and politicians, were in association with Uniform Mortgages.

They were also in association with Serve And Protect Credit Union, Police Mutual, No1CopperPot Credit Union, Metfriendly, THB Legal, Motorola, Rates Group and George Burrows.