THREE West Mercia officers have been honoured with awards for bravery after saving a woman from drowning in her flood-stricken car near Pershore.
Police sergeants, Lee Baker and Shannon Murphy, and police constable Tom Simmonds received a Police Federation National Bravery Award and were crowned regional winners for their actions in rescuing Annie Nisbet on Thursday, July 11.
Annie Nisbet, from Malvern praised the officers as ‘heroic’ for saving her life.
She said: “My personal gratitude isn’t enough for the extraordinary, heroic actions of officers Simmonds, Baker, and Murphy.
“I’d lost all hope of surviving, when a landslide of police arrived, with no hesitation of the danger they were in – and absolute determination to reach me.
“That level of selflessness is an astonishing commitment to humanity – and to life.
“I live every day in gratitude that you gifted me with my life.”
On the morning of April 25, 2023, the winning trio, all officers from South Worcestershire LPA, were on duty when they attended a 999 shout called in by Annie when her car was sinking in Bow Brook in Worcestershire.
She had been driving to her brother’s house when she encountered the ford, which was swamped after heavy rainfall. Despite stopping short of the water, her car was swept up from beneath, and within a matter of minutes, had filled up inside to the level of her neck.
Racing against the clock, PC Simmonds smashed the driver-side front window of the sinking vehicle, with its electric windows having been disabled by water.
He was supported by a human chain of PS Baker and PS Murphy and three other officers who helped him gain a footing on the shifting bed of the ford to get access to the window and Annie, who was pulled out and passed along the team to safety.
Inspector Nick Horton, the Local Policing Priorities Team (LPPT) lead for West Mercia, said: “I am immensely proud of my colleagues who went above and beyond to save a woman from drowning in her car.
“Their bravery and quick thinking in the face of danger exemplify the true spirit of police officers everywhere.”
West Mercia Police Federation Branch Secretary Pete Nightingale said:
“I am really proud of them, and I know Annie will always be extremely grateful for the courageous actions of the officers on that day that saved her life.”
