TWO Essex Police Officers from Maldon who saved the life of a man seemingly intent on killing himself in a burning car have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award.<\/p>\n
PC Jason Keyte and\u00a0PC Martin Baumber were called out to reports of a man smashing up a caravan park in St Lawrence Bay during a late-night disturbance\u00a0in June 2018.<\/p>\n
As the officers set off to deal with the incident, a further update was radioed in. A car had crashed into a house in the area before driving off, and moments later the officers took a call from control telling them a man had reported the road traffic collision and was threatening to take his own life.<\/p>\n
Realising the incidents were obviously related,\u00a0the officers tried to locate the man and using their local knowledge tracked him down to a quiet country lane in Purleigh.<\/p>\n
Pulling up they could see a vehicle had been set alight and was engulfed by flames.<\/p>\n
Fearing the man was planning to commit suicide, the officers sprinted from their vehicle to stop him in his tracks.<\/p>\n
PC Keyte said he feared the worst.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we turned up and turned the corner, it was a pitch-black lane, and all you can see is this car completely engulfed in flames,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first thought was, \u2018this guy\u2019s burning alive in that car\u2019, and we were both thinking \u2018we\u2019re going to have to try and save this guy\u2019s life by putting ourselves in harm\u2019s way, and if he\u2019s in the car how are we going to do that?\u2019<\/p>\n
However, as the officers approached, they could see he was out of the vehicle and was running towards them before he decided to run back to the blazing car.<\/p>\n
PC Keyte caught up with the man first, but he lashed out as the officer attempted to detain him. The man tried to pull PC Keyte in the blazing car before he eventually managed to get him to the ground just inches away from the vehicle.<\/p>\n
Hot debris was spitting at the officers as PC Baumber joined his colleague to detain the man as the tarmac around them began to melt. Throughout the incident, cars continued to drive past them as if nothing was happening.<\/p>\n
PC Baumber said they feared for the man\u2019s safety and their own as they tried to bring him under control just a few feet from the blazing vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cPC Keyte\u00a0managed to grab hold of one of his arms, and as the bloke went to punch him with his right arm, I grabbed that and we got him on the floor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were probably about 6-8 feet from the car that was on fire, and we were struggling with him in the middle of the road to try and get him detained. While we were doing that cars were driving around us. The car\u2019s tyres exploded and some of that went onto us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man continued to resist the officer\u2019s help in the back of the patrol car and spat in PC Baumber\u2019s face. Despite the assault, the officers showed great professionalism to ensure the man, who\u00a0appeared to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol,\u00a0was kept safe even though he began to vomit in the car.<\/p>\n
The man was later prosecuted for assault and criminal damage but thanked the officers for preventing him from taking his own life.<\/p>\n
The officers escaped serious injury but were left with blisters and scrapes from trying to detain the man so close to the burning car.<\/p>\n
Both officers knew they had to put the danger of the situation to one side to try and help the man.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve always got that thought at the back of your head of, \u2018this is dangerous. We could get hurt here\u2019\u201d, said PC Baumber.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then at the same time, you\u2019re thinking, \u2018I need to help this person. I need to stop him from doing something stupid. I need to prevent this from getting worse\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good to be recognised for something, but at the same time, it\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
PC Keyte added:\u00a0\u201cThe Chief Constable commended PC Baumber and me for what we did and we weren\u2019t expecting to be nominated for a Bravery Award. Opportunities like this don\u2019t come along very often. It\u2019s a nice touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said the officers showed brilliant police work in an extremely challenging situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a very dangerous incident, and the officers had to show great courage and tenacity to deal with it,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cThis man seemed intent on causing harm to himself \u2013 and our colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet Martin and Jason\u00a0refused to let this man\u00a0injure\u00a0himself or others and\u00a0–\u00a0despite intense provocation\u00a0–\u00a0remained professional at all times. They were incredibly brave to risk their own safety to protect this man. They are a real credit to the force and their families\u00a0and very worthy winners of an award.\u201d<\/p>\n
PC Baumber and PC Keyte will attend the first ever Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards \u2013 which will combine celebrating 2020 and 2021 winners \u2013 this September. Overall winners for both years will be announced and they will go on to compete in the National Police Bravery Awards.<\/p>\n
The Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards are sponsored by Uniform Mortgages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"