Three people recognised for bravery in Herts at national Police Public Bravery Awards

Three people have been recognised for outstanding acts of bravery in Hertfordshire at the annual Police Public Bravery Awards.

The ceremony, organised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), was held last Thursday (30 November) to honour brave members of the public who have placed themselves in dangerous situations, carrying out courageous and selfless acts to help protect others, defend their communities, prevent and detect crime and actively assist the police.

The constabulary nominated three individuals to be recognised for their brave actions to help victims in Herts.

They were Nacanieli Bale and Corey Skinnet West who stepped in when a 19-year-old woman was the victim of a burglary, detaining the offender until police arrived and Tim Lewis who stopped his car on a motorway bridge during bad weather conditions to help a suicidal man.

All three men received silver medals.

Nacanieli Bale and Corey Skinnet West

Nacanieli and Corey were recognised for their actions in Broxbourne after they came to the aid of a teenager who was home alone when she was the victim of a burglary on the evening of Saturday 21 May 2022. When she realised a man was trying to break in, she fled to the back of the property and alerted passerby Nacanieli, who was out walking with a friend. He ran to the front of the home and told another member of the public, Corey, who lives locally, to cover the back of the property.

Nacanieli, who was visiting a friend from his home in Scotland, bravely went into the property where he discovered the offender coming down the stairs. He prevented him from leaving and was helped by Corey, who lives in the town, to detain the man until police arrived to arrest him.

The offender was subsequently sentenced to two years and four months in prison for burglary and 14 days for assault on an emergency worker.

Tim Lewis

Tim was travelling along Watery Lane, on the outskirts of Harpenden on Sunday 13 February 2022, when he spotted a man standing on the wrong side of the pedestrian safety barrier of a motorway overbridge on the M1.

The St Albans man parked up his vehicle and engaged with the man who was visibly upset. After providing support for around 10 minutes, an off-duty sergeant saw what was happening and also stopped to help. Working together they managed to convince the man to move to the right side of the barrier. When police arrived the man subsequently received mental health support.

The prestigious awards were hosted at The Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield by Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Lauren Poultney.

Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson who attended on behalf of Hertfordshire’s Chief Constable Charlie Hall in support of our local winners said: “In policing it is business as usual for us to respond to calls for help and we are specially trained to take on dangerous situations to keep the wider public safe.

“While this takes a special kind of person with courage and a dedication to public service, when a member of the public with no training or specialist equipment steps up to help someone they have never met before, it is quite right that this should be properly celebrated and recognised.

“I was delighted to be able to attend the awards event to celebrate the actions of Nacanieli, Corey and Tim. All three went out of their way to help someone unknown to them, coming to their aid in their hour of need. Without their intervention the outcome in both incidents may have been very different and possibly tragic. I have no doubt that the people they helped feel incredibly grateful. We are really proud of all three winners.”

The night saw more than 50 medals and seventeen certificates presented to members of the public.

Picture captions: L-R: Chair of the NPCC Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, winner Nacanieli Bale and Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson.

L-R: Chair of the NPCC Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, winner Tim Lewis and Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson.