Top honours for West Midlands Police heroes who tried to save stabbing victim's life
Three police officers who fought to save the life of a stabbing victim will receive top national honours for their life-and-death fight even though the victim died at the scene.
The horror incident happened in Cook Street, Darlaston, on the evening of December 22, 2022.
PCs Colin Harris, Paul Southall and Karl Williams were first on the scene after reports of the stabbing and they found the victim who had a single stab wound to the chest and was bleeding profusely slumped over a wall.
However, at that stage he was still semi-conscious and breathing and they immediately put him on the ground and began to administer cardiac pulmonary resuscitation, which they continued even after an ambulance and paramedics arrived at the scene. Despite all their efforts though the man could not be saved.
Now the three of them have been awarded Royal Humane Society Certificates of Commendation for their fight to save the man and have also won the personal praise of Andrew Chapman, secretary of the society.
“They were first on the scene and did all they could to save him,” said Mr Chapman.
“They undoubtedly gave him the best chance of survival possible but sadly it was not enough. He was too badly injured.
“But they deserve nothing but praise for the way they handled what was an horrific situation and they richly deserve the awards they are to receive. No-one could have done more to try and save the man than they did.”
The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back nearly 250 years.
Other than awards made by the Crown it is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.
It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan.
Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.
However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.
The society also awards non-healthcare professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the society has considered over 90,000 cases and given over 220,000 awards.
The society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.
