A Police officer who managed to disarm a man who had doused himself in petrol has been named as a runner-up in the 2023 Hampshire Police Federation Bravery Awards.
On 29th September 2021, PC Jamie Lewis was part of a team looking for a high-risk missing person here on the Isle of Wight. Using a phone ping, the missing man’s location was narrowed down to the Ventnor area.
It didn’t take long for PC Lewis to locate the vehicle and the missing male inside, having stabbed himself in the neck. On seeing officers, the man poured petrol over himself, while still sitting in his car.
PC Lewis approached the man and tried to engage him in conversation, all the while edging closer and closer to the driver’s seat.
When PC Lewis approached the window, the man tried to stab himself in the neck again. PC Lewis grabbed the man’s hand and forced the blade out of it. Officers then detained the man under the Mental Health Act.
PC Lewis said:
“The bloke needed help, he was in turmoil. We were concerned when he started pouring petrol over himself. It wasn’t an overly built-up area, but there were quite a few cars around and his car would have exploded.
“It’s nice to be recognised for what we did that day.”
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Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said:
“Jamie’s calm actions and quick thinking saved this vulnerable man from further injuring himself.
“There was a real risk that he would set himself on fire, and it took enormous courage for Jamie to approach him and grab his weapon. I commend Jamie on his selfless actions. We are very proud of him.”
Oh my goodness, what a brave man. Thank heavens for all our fantastic keyworker heroes, clever nurses who work long hours even through scary pandemics, teachers in freezing classrooms who have to spend their own money on school materials, traffic wardens who risk attack. You all know who you are, our quality of life depends on your work.
Well done Jamie. Hats off to you. 🙂
Did anyone else notice the continuity error? He said that “we became concerned after he doused himself in petrol” so a bloke stabbing himself in the neck isnt concerning enough? Not to rain on his fire, he could have just stood back and called every fire station in a 50 mile radius and wait for armed po po… so thanks for that
Obviously they were concerned to begin with. the use of petrol could have caused untold damage to anyone in the area.