2023 Winner
PC Paul Spinks
Off-duty police officer tackled a man waving a machete near schools in an area busy with parents and children.
PC Paul Spinks was off duty last May when he spotted a man wielding a machete close to a school in Salford. With parents and children out on the school run, Paul felt he had to act. Quickly calling the disturbance in to his colleagues, he monitored the situation as he waited for back up. “With the tragedies that followed the Arena attack, I’m aware of the devastation that an individual can cause,” said Paul.
So when the man grew increasingly agitated and gripped the handle of his weapon as he approached the window of a vehicle stopped in traffic, Paul bravely stepped away from the safety of his car.
“It’s not something I would advocate,” he sid. “I would always say if you can get away from somebody with a knife, run and phone for help. But in this instance members of the public’s safety was my priority.” Identifying himself as an off-duty police officer, Paul, who grew up in the area, said the man showed immediate aggression.
Paul then tackled the man, bringing him to the ground and disarming him before detaining him until on-duty officers arrived. They told him the man had been involved in a violent domestic incident and had tried to stab members of his own family. With the situation now under control, Paul, who had been driving to see his mum for a cup of tea before work, was able to return to his car.
“I had about six missed calls off my mum,” he said. “I said, ‘Mum I’ll tell you very shortly, something took place.’ She said, ‘Well your brew’s gone cold, do you know how much it costs to boil a kettle these days?’” Paul explained all to his mum when he arrived at her house a short time later. “She told me off,” he said. “She told me, ‘Why are you putting yourself in such danger?’ Because we’d recently lost my dad. But Dad would have said and done exactly the same. He’s somebody that I’ve got my morals from. “It’s the safety of others. It’s looking after people in the community and just being yourself.” Chief Inspector Chris Mannion at Greater Manchester Police praised Paul’s remarkable bravery in the face of danger.
He said: “I was really quite taken aback by the sheer amount of courage that Paul showed in relation to this incident. The way that he reacted was tremendously courageous and really something to be proud of.”