Awards have been given out to police officers, police staff and members of the public for their outstanding actions, and going above and beyond to protect the public on the Isle of Wight at a ceremony in Newport.
The Isle of Wight District Commander’s Awards was hosted by Superintendent Rob Mitchell at the Newport Congregational Church on the evening of Wednesday 26th April 2023.
Special guests
Supt Mitchell welcomed a number of special guests at the event, including Chief Constable Scott Chilton and Isle of Wight High Sheriff, Dawn Haig-Thomas.
Attendees heard of the bravery and dedication of not only police officers and staff from Hampshire Constabulary working on the Island, but of selfless members of the public who came to the aid of others in their time of need. Officers were also recognised for their support to victims, including a group of officers who worked on a lengthy child sex abuse investigation.
Isle of Wight Police Cadets
Our Isle of Wight Police Cadets were also attested at the event, and presented with certificates by the Chief Constable and the High Sheriff.
The Volunteer Police Cadets scheme provides a safe environment where young people aged 13-17 can learn as individuals, develop positive relationships with the police and actively support the community. For more details on the Cadets, visit the Website.
Story of bravery
Keep an eye on the Isle of Wight Police Facebook page where we will be highlighting a small selection of case studies from the awards ceremony throughout this week, starting today by recognising the efforts of two young girls in Ryde.
Early morning on 13th August 2020, a fire began at a residential address in Ryde. Inside the address was Sian John and her two children, Caitlin who was aged 12 at the time, and Alice who was aged 9.
Collapsed after battling the flames
After shouting for her children to get themselves and the family dog safely out of their home, Sian began to battle the fire with bowls of water, but soon became overpowered by the smoke and flames.
Within minutes Sian collapsed and is thought to have lost consciousness.
Pulled to safety
Worried that her mum had not yet exited the property, Caitlin went back into the house and pulled Sian to safety.
The two girls then both tended to Sian while they awaited the arrival of the emergency services.
Hospitalised for weeks
Sian suffered serious burn injuries and was taken to Salisbury Hospital where she remained for a number of weeks.
Caitlin’s brave actions saved her mother’s life.
Leadership beyond her years
Caitlin demonstrated leadership beyond her years towards her younger sister, giving her instruction to stay calm and to keep herself and the dog safe.
Alice acted bravely by listening to her older sister, by taking instruction from her and not risking her own safety when she feared the worst.
Emergency services
On the arrival of the fire service, the first floor of the address was well alight and there was a fear the fire would spread to the adjoining house.
The actions of the fire service did save the adjoining house, however the John household was extremely damaged and was not habitable for a number of months.
Awarded for their bravery
At the district commander’s awards ceremony last week, Caitlin was presented with a certificate from the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, and Alice was presented with a Letter of Commendation from the society.
Mitchell: Recognising when they’ve gone the extra mile
Speaking at the ceremony, Superintendent Rob Mitchell said,
“Today is a chance for me to bring together our officers and staff who have conducted exceptional policing through the year. Quite often the work they do they see as business as usual, but it’s not. They’ve safeguarded vulnerable people, caught criminals, and they’ve got justice for victims.
“We don’t always hear that being celebrated or talked about, and this is a chance to bring everyone together with their family and friends, and actually recognise when they’ve gone the extra mile.
“Ultimately we’re very lucky on the Isle of Wight, we have an awful lot of officers who are committed. They work tirelessly during the weekends, during public holidays, and they give up birthdays in order to go the extra mile to keep the public safe.
“Tonight in the company of the Chief Constable and our new High Sheriff it was great to hear some fantastic stories about bravery, about endurance in pursuing outcomes for vulnerable people, whether it’s anti-social behaviour or protecting them from crime, and even this evening as well we had a couple of young girls who saved their mother from a burning building.
“It’s been a great night all round.”
News shared by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, in their own words. Ed
