Castle Bromwich Community Website

TWO police officers from Solihull are to be honoured at a special ceremony on Thursday (23 June) for their outstanding acts of bravery.

PC Grant Naismith and PC Matthew Goodwin placed themselves in two separate dangerous situations where bladed weapons and firearms were used to either threaten members of the public or cause injury to themselves.

On Tuesday 28 December 2010 a call was received from a man in Chelmsley Wood, stating he wanted to be in police custody and that he had broken his bail conditions. A short time later he rang the police again in a distressed state saying he had knives and that he intended to harm himself.

Police officers were dispatched to the man’s address; one of who was PC Naismith. When the officers arrived they found the man in a very distressed state, having taken an overdose of prescribed medication and alcohol. He was highly agitated and in a paranoid state of mind. He also had two 10-inch knives; one held at his chest and the second in his mouth. There was clearly an imminent threat that he would seriously harm himself.

PC Naismith placed himself in the hallway so that he could have sight of the man and encouraged him to talk. This placed PC Naismith in front of the other officers due to the confined space and clearly exposed him to the man should he become a threat to the police.

A tactical option of using a taser device was considered but with the man holding the two knives against his chest and mouth, there would have been the risk of serious injury should he fall on them. PC Naismith kept up the dialogue, building his trust and calming the man’s mental state, which resulted in the man surrendering one of the knives. PC Naismith continued his calm negotiation in what was a very alarming and tense situation.

Finally, not only was PC Naismith able to convince the man to give up the second knife but also to lay face down with his hands on his head, enabling other officers to safely enter the room and secure him in handcuffs. A paramedic was then able to enter the room and assess the man.

Through PC Naismith’s commendable actions the man was calmly taken into police custody and received treatment at a local hospital without any injuries to him or the officers and without the use of force.

On Tuesday 24 August 2010 a robbery occurred in Brueton Park, Solihull where an offender approached an elderly woman and snatched her handbag. When her elderly companion attempted to challenge the offender he produced a pistol and threatened the couple before running off.

PC Matthew Goodwin attended the scene and straight away saw a man fitting the description of the offender that had been circulated - the offender was on foot walking towards Solihull town centre. PC Goodwin got out of his car and began to follow the offender at a safe distance, with the intention to wait until the arrival of armed officers. However, before any assistance arrived the offender got on a bus. At this point PC Goodwin was concerned the situation would escalate, as he understood the offender was in possession of a firearm and that he had already committed one robbery, so PC Goodwin also got on the bus to approach the offender and escort him off to conduct a routine check.

At this time the offender was agitated but compliant. PC Goodwin took possession of the offender’s bag and inside saw the top of a pistol. He remained calm and professional and tried not to show any reaction to the firearm he had seen in the bag. PC Goodwin placed the bag on a bench and took hold of the offender to arrest him on suspicion of robbery. The offender became extremely aggressive and attempted to break free but PC Goodwin managed to hold onto him until further assistance arrived.

During the arrest the offender was also found to be in possession of a four-inch knife and the firearm was found to be an unloaded gas powered pistol.

The offender was charged and later sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

Superintendent Dave Walker said: “In both incidents, PC Goodwin and PC Naismith remained calm and controlled. They showed immense bravery in putting the safety of the public and colleagues before themselves. I am very proud of them both and am pleased their bravery is rightly being rewarded.”

The awards are to be presented by the Chief Constable at a special awards ceremony taking place at Tally Ho! Sports and Social Club, Edgbaston at 8pm on Thursday 23 June.