Thames Valley Police awards officers for detaining armed man in Reading

PCs Tom Blount, Sarah Clark and Oliver Smith were all relatively new in service when they attended the incident

A police force has awarded three officers for their actions in detaining an armed man.

Thames Valley Police awarded PCs Tom Blount, Sarah Clark and Oliver Smith for arresting a man who had threatened them with a fake firearm.

The incident happened in Reading, Berkshire, on 16 August 2022.

PC Clark said "disarming a man with a firearm was not what we expected that morning" and that she was "very proud" to receive the award.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg awarded the three PCs in a ceremony on 24 January

PCs Blount, Clark and Smith were all relatively new in service when they responded to the call for help from a woman whose son had become violent and aggressive towards his family.

The force said he had taken "an excessive amount of cocaine and heroin".

The officers found the family "clearly distressed" and "worried" for their relative.

PCs Blount and Smith went to speak with the man who then pointed a firearm at PC Blount and threatened to shoot him.

PC Clark joined to help her two colleagues gain control of the man and he was ultimately arrested.

In November 2022 he was convicted of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg presented the awards to the three officers at a ceremony at Cotswolds Hotel and Spa in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, on 24 January.

PC Blount said it was "a great honour" to receive the recognition.

"That we were able to safely disarm and contain a volatile man and all make it home safely was testament to the professionalism of my colleagues and wider team," he added.

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