Five police officers who saved a woman’s life in Berkshire have won a bravery award.

Sgt Ben Clarke, PC Jessica Howells, PC Roxane Lines, PC Jack Smith and PC Luke Wallis are being awarded a Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Award after saving a woman from suicide.

In April 2021, Thames Valley Police received information from a Samsung call centre that a woman in Dedworth, Windsor, had called them saying she was suicidal.

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Sgt Ben Clarke, PC Jessica Howells, PC Roxane Lines, PC Jack Smith and PC Luke Wallis attended the woman’s home and spoke to her through a locked door.

She made clear comments that she would self-harm, with the intention of killing herself.

The officers assessed the situation and called for MOE (Method of Entry) officers to attend as a contingency, to gain entry if required urgently. They continued to make attempts to negotiate with the woman through the door, but she repeated that she was going to kill herself and was heard to withdraw further into the flat.

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Police became concerned for her welfare and safety after she mentioned there was a viable weapon within the flat.

It was at this point that the officers forced the door open to save her life and found the woman in the bedroom stabbing herself in the neck. The officers gave her clear instructions to stop, but with no effect, so they deployed Taser.

They followed up with fast first aid to plug a suspected arterial bleed, while the woman actively resisted all efforts to help her. An ambulance arrived and took over the medical treatment before taking the woman to hospital.

Sgt Clarke ensured welfare checks on all officers involved, debriefed them, and has continued to manage their welfare following the incident to ensure they have ongoing support.

PC Howells said: “We see a lot of disturbing things as police officers and we deal with a lot of mental health issues, but I’d never seen anything quite like this and I know none of my colleagues had either. We worked well together as a team and everyone took on different roles during the incident. We certainly didn’t expect it to escalate that quickly.

“We had to weigh up the risks of each option, we didn’t want to make the wrong decision, but our priority was to prevent the woman from taking her own life.”

She added: “We’re all really pleased to receive this award, we didn’t expect it, and we’re honoured when everyone around us is doing such good work too.”

Thames Valley Police Federation Chair Craig O’Leary said: “This was a very distressing and challenging incident. All five officers acted calmly and professionally, making split-second decisions that saved this woman’s life.

“Ben, Jessica, Roxane, Jack and Luke wouldn’t have known what awaited them or what danger they were going to face when they knocked down that door but they – in the finest traditions of policing – saved this person’s life.

“They went above and beyond and I am glad they were well supported following this incident. We are very proud of them.”

Sgt Clarke and PCs Howells, Lines, Smith and Wallis will attend the 2022 Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Awards on 28 April where an overall winner will be announced.

The Awards are in Association with Uniform Mortgages. The hashtag for the event is #TVPFedBravery.

If you are affected by this story, please call the Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/