Post by Paul Howes 🇬🇧

Enough with the platitudes about “bravery.” A police sergeant ran towards a man soaked in petrol, lighter in hand, standing beside fuel pumps. He didn’t have the luxury of hindsight, a tactical pause or a committee to tell him what to do. He had seconds to stop an incident that could have killed innocent members of the public, fellow emergency workers and the man himself. He made the only decision that mattered. Sgt Charlie Thompson knowingly placed himself in the immediate zone of lethal danger to protect others. That is not routine policing. That is conspicuous courage under the most extreme pressure. Yet we seem to have created a culture where officers are scrutinised in forensic detail when something goes wrong, but when one displays extraordinary courage, we congratulate them, hand out a certificate and move on. That is the wrong balance. If the Honours System exists to recognise service and gallantry beyond the ordinary, then this case deserves serious consideration at the highest level. Whether that is the King’s Police Medal for gallantry or the King’s Gallantry Medal is ultimately a matter for the Honours Committee. What should not be in doubt is that this level of courage warrants national recognition. The public expect police officers to run towards danger. They should never become so accustomed to that expectation that they forget the personal risk involved. This wasn’t just another arrest. It was an officer making a split-second decision that may well have prevented a mass casualty event. That deserves more than applause. It deserves a medal. https://mol.im/a/15965097