‘Immense bravery’ of officers responding to Babbs Mill tragedy honoured

The officers showed “immense personal bravery” at enormous personal risk to try to save the lives of the four boys who ventured onto the frozen lake on December 7 last year.

Jack Johnson, Tom Stewart, Sam Butler and his brother Finlay all died in the incident.

On Thursday night (July 13) the whole team was recognised at the awards, which were hosted by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), and sponsored by Police Mutual.

The event honours police officers across England and Wales every year for their actions to keep the public safe as well as to tackle criminals.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford QPM said: “It is important to remember the families at this time, while absolutely endorsing and thanking the officers and staff for all of their efforts on the day of this tragedy.”

Superintendent Richard Harris from Solihull Neighbourhood Policing Unit said this was “without a doubt” one of the most tragic incidents he has known in his 27 years of service.

He said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy. We cannot comprehend the enormity of the pain they must feel and our hearts go out to them.

“The officers who received these awards thoroughly deserve to be recognised

“My own local officers were first to arrive on scene within minutes and tried so desperately to rescue the boys that afternoon with many wading into the sub-zero water up to their necks to form a human chain.

“I am incredibly proud that the bravery of all those involved in trying so desperately to save the lives of Fin, Tom, Jack and Sam, has been recognised.”

The 14 officers, PS Paula McDowell, PS Fergal Sharkey, PC Harriet Batchelor, PC Alana Grigg, PC Stewart Powers, PC Joshua Adams, PC Anthony Maginnis, PC William Finnegan, PC Fidha Akhtar, PC Olivia Studholme, PC Charanjit Chana, PC Jordan Finn, PCSO Chloe Westlake and an officer who wishes to remain anonymous responded to emergency calls from panicked members of the public after four children all under 12 had fallen through ice while playing on a frozen lake.

Within nine minutes of the first call being made on December 11, 2022, officers began arriving on scene and immediately started to wade into the ice-cold water.

West Midlands Police said the lake, at Babbs Mill was frozen and varied in thickness making a hard job extremely dangerous and even harder for the officers to identify where the children were under the ice.

As the minutes passed the officers realised their only option was to form a human chain to attempt to pull the young lives from the freezing water. Within moments of entering the water the officers at the spear of the chain were submerged up to their shoulders and they soon reached a 5ft drop in the lake, meaning progress without specialist protective gear was impossible.

Such was the temperature of the water even with specialist gear the temperature would have proved too cold.

The extremely tough decision to exit the water was made with great reluctance. They created space to work with the Fire Service and the first child was soon brought to the shore to have the specialist care they needed, while the search for the remaining children continued.

Working alongside the 14 officers on scene, colleagues from the Air Ambulance and the Fire Service provided CPR and specialist first aid to the children as they were retrieved from the water.

The children were rushed under blue lights to the hospital where efforts to revive them continued, but despite the best efforts of all the emergency services in attendance, all four children tragically died.

Supt Harris: “All the officers who attended this incident showed incredible bravery putting their own safety to one side in order to do their best in saving the young lives of the four boys.

“I am incredibly proud of what they all did, and I would like to thank and commend them all for their selfless act and bravery.”

Mr Guildford added: “These officers and staff displayed immense personal bravery, teamwork and dedication in trying to save the lives of four young people.

“The way they went about their duties at the scene exemplifies everything a dedicated public servant stands for; they are thoroughly deserving of this award.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “acutely aware of the pivotal role police play in our society”.

“We depend on officers to fight crime and keep us safe,” he said. “This is public service of the most noble kind and everyone working in policing has my enduring gratitude and admiration.

“Every day, thousands of courageous individuals in policing put the needs of others first. They make sacrifices and confront danger so the rest of us can go about our lives freely and safely. That is something we should cherish and celebrate, which is why the Police Bravery Awards are so special.”

Police Bravery Awards regional winners:

Region 1: (Lancashire): PC Sam Stinchon, PC Taylor Gregson, PC Vanessa Fowler, PC Katherine Maxwell, PC Mike McMahon – who jumped into a river in an attempt to save a woman who had tried to take their own life. She later died in hospital but was given every chance to survive “thanks to the phenomenal effort, courage, bravery, and professionalism shown by all the officers”.

Region 2: (Durham): PC Ryan Murley – who single-handedly confronted two dangerous men wanted on suspicion of attempted murder.

Region 3: (West Midlands): Overall winners

Region 4: (Nottinghamshire): PS Dan Griffin, PC Amy Pannell – who apprehended an “enraged knifeman” who had stabbed one of them multiple times.

Region 5: (Bedfordshire): Officer wishes to remain anonymous – for his “heroic attempts” to save the life of a suspected arsonist that saw him suffer life-changing burn injuries.

Region 6: (Gloucestershire): PS Steve Wilkinson, PC Josh Norris – off-duty officers who confronted a murderer who had just stabbed his neighbour to death before setting out to kill another.

Region 7: (South Wales): PC Owen Bedford, Insp. Paul Ramsay, DI Paul Graham and an officer who wishes to remain anonymous – who made a human chain in poor light conditions to save a woman precariously positioned over a crumbling cliff.

Region 8: (London): PC Andrew Cushing – who seized a split-second opportunity to apprehend an armed suspect as he found himself looking down the barrel of a gun.