Police Now officers win Uniformed Hero Award for outstanding bravery

Police Now officers Bethany Cottrell and Natalie Millward were presented with the Uniformed Hero Award at Staffordshire Police, for the extraordinary courage they showed during a violent protest last year.

Beth and Nat had started the shift as neighbourhood officers – acting as a bridge between the police and the community to help build public trust – when the protest broke out, which meant that neither were wearing public order protective equipment.

Despite this, they jumped into action. 

They physically disarmed individuals who were wielding gardening forks, baseball bats, and timber, in an outstanding act of bravery.

They also used their effective neighbourhood policing and communication skills to engage with members of the community and de-escalate tense situations.

After being ordered to retreat from the danger, both Beth and Nat voluntarily stayed on to provide welfare support and assistance to their frontline colleagues. 

Natalie said: “Neighbourhood policing helps us build trust with the public; we talk to everyone and have a real presence in the community. Those neighbourhood policing skills really helped us reduce violence on the day, through effective de-escalation and communication.

“It’s thanks to Police Now’s neighbourhood specialism that I was able to develop those skills, and to join policing in the first place. I’m a huge advocate for the way the programme delivers training and the opportunities it provides.”

Beth said: “This was truly a team effort; everyone worked exceptionally hard on the day to protect the public and support one another. I’m particularly proud that the role of neighbourhood policing was recognised at the awards – it plays such an important role in keeping our communities safe.”

The Uniformed Hero Award recognises anyone who has gone above and beyond their usual duties to help others. It was presented to Beth and Nat at the force’s Your Heroes Awards in November, for their response to the protest in Hanley city centre the previous year.

This is the second year in a row that Nat has been presented with a bravery award for her outstanding frontline work. She previously won for her exceptional response to a murder in the community, as first officer on the scene.

Police Now’s Chief Executive Officer, Kurtis Christoforides, said: “We are immensely proud of Beth and Nat for their bravery and unwavering commitment to keeping the public safe, even in the most challenging circumstances.

“They represent the very best of policing and of Police Now: brilliant people with the courage and capability to deal bravely and firmly with physical violence one moment, sensitively and compassionately with victims of tragedy and loss the next, and everything in between.”

Chief Inspector Dave Barrow, of the Stoke-on-Trent south local policing team, said: “Both officers epitomise what it means to serve in uniform. Their unwavering courage and selflessness minimised violence and prevented serious injury to countless individuals.”