Officers praised for bravery in detaining domestic abuse suspect
Two police officers have been praised for their bravery in tackling a domestic abuse suspect – with one left with a badly broken finger.
Laura Cox and student officer Kyle King were looking for a man wanted for harassment when they found him in the garden of a house in Fordbridge, in Birmingham.
He resisted arrest and during a scuffle Laura was left with fractures to two fingers on her left hand, while Kyle suffered bruised ribs having been kicked during the incident.
The suspect, aged 29 years old, made off – but a man later handed himself in at a police station where he was charged with two counts of assault on the West Midlands Police officers, plus the original stalking offence.
Laura will need surgery on her more seriously damaged finger but Kyle – who joined in October as part of a continued recruitment drive – was back on the frontline the next day.
Laura said: “We made an arrest attempt for the man at one address but he wasn’t there – so checked the victim’s address to ensure she was OK.
“We found him in the garden and it quickly became apparent he didn’t want to come quietly. I heard my finger snap but we were both focussed on trying to detain the man.
“I’ll have an operation on it in a few days. It’s frustrating as I’ll be on lighter duties for a while but I’ll soon be back on full duty.”
Their supervisor Sergeant Kirk Whitehouse, praised their bravery and determination. He added: “Laura has been with us for 17 years and has a wealth of experience – there is no better officer for a new PC to be partnered with to learn the ropes.
“Domestic abuse is a priority for the team, going after offenders and safeguarding victims and both Laura and Kyle showed great determination and bravery in what was a challenging situation.”
