Congratulations to colleagues commended by the force

SIX police officers and two members of the public have received commendations from Chief Constable who paid tribute to their bravery, courage and professionalism.

They were joined by proud family members and special guests at a ceremony at Essex Police HQ in Chelmsford on December 8. Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, said: “Our officers deal with difficult circumstances and they do so in a professional and sensitive manner.”

He added: “They regularly assist vulnerable people experiencing poor mental health, as was the case in these two incidents.

“The way in which officers and members of the public assisted these people at their time of need was fantastic. It was brilliant to see the members of the public come together with the officers to help. It makes me proud to be responsible for our officers in Essex, who try their hardest to help those in need.”

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “I am here today on behalf of the people of Essex to say thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty. I know the public has a great amount of admiration for what you do for them. It’s great to be able to say thank you in person.”

Pc Ivan Sharplin, three colleagues, Tom Allen and another member of the public, attended an incident on December 2016 where a woman was trying to jump off a bridge onto a dual carriageway.

Tom and another member of the public climbed the safety fence on the bridge to reach the woman and the officers pulled her to safety.

In March 2016, PC Luke Pitchford with Police Dog Tex and a colleague attended an incident where a man was threatening to harm himself and officers.

The man was in his car and as officers approached to help, he drove towards them. But they were able to get him out of the car safely and he was taken to the hospital to receive the care he needed.