Emergency services’ brave actions bring ‘potentially deadly’ situation under control

A police sergeant, decorated for his actions in a “potentially deadly” situation, has told how fire and ambulance service colleagues had to barricade themselves in a bedroom as a man clawed at the door with knives.

Sgt Nick Waters, of Spalding police, and colleague PC Daniel Brant received Chief Constable’s Commendations for their actions at the scene in Crowland, which had initially been a medical call to an unconscious man.

Sgt Waters said: “The fire and ambulance service attended what they thought was a quite routine, low-key medical emergency. When they arrived, they faced one of the scariest experiences they could have. It all changed so quickly.”When Sgt Waters and PC Brant arrived they had to use the fire crew’s ladder to climb into the bedroom window of the flat their colleagues were in.
They found a firefighter having to hold the door shut as the armed man tried to force his way in. The crew, a nurse who had spent the day with the ambulance service team and the man’s partner had fled to the bedroom when the man took up the weapons.

Using a shield for protection, Sgt Waters and PC Brant were able to open the door and train their taser on the man to bring the incident to an end.

Sgt Waters said credit ought really to go to his fire and ambulance service colleagues.
He said: “Of course it’s lovely to be recognised, but ultimately, at least we had the advantage of knowing what we were going into. Our colleagues went there to administer medical aid.
“Everyone was shaken up by what initially seemed like a quite standard sort of incident to being met with such hostility and weapons being used, shut in a room  with someone attacking the door with knives.
“Understandably, everyone was shaken up including the fire crew who have seen some terrible things in their careers.”

Sgt Waters’ and PC Brant’s actions in March last year won recognition at an awards ceremony at police headquarters in Nettleham on January 19.

In one of his final acts before retiring on January 31, Ch Con Neil Rhodes said: “Sgt Nick Waters and PC Daniel Brant were faced with a dangerous and potentially deadly situation.
“They have acted calmly and decisively to bring a volatile incident to order. Police officers sometimes need to show authority and sometimes they need to show empathy, but mostly it is a fine balance of the two.
“I am really proud of their actions which made sure of a safe conclusion for all involved.” 
The man involved in the incident admitted affray and was given a six-month suspended prison sentence.