Pc honoured for bravery in hostage situation
Police sergeant Simon Goldsmith, who kept a cool head after being barricaded in a house by gun-wielding fugitive Robert Inman in June 2009. is being honoured for bravery.
Police sergeant Simon Goldsmith, who kept a cool head after being barricaded in a house by gun-wielding fugitive Robert Inman in June 2009. is being honoured for bravery.Sergeant Simon Goldsmith, his colleague Frank Martin and a firefighter, who were involved in the drama which sparked a massive manhunt to catch Robert Inman, will all be awarded the Chief Constable's Commendation at Cambridgeshire police headquarters in Huntingdon tonight.
The two officers were called out on a routine call to Inman's address in Medeswell, Orton Malborne, Peterborough on June 9.
But when a check revealed Inman was on the run from police, Pc Martin rang Sgt Goldsmith asking him to bring a police van so they could arrest him.
But when he arrived, he was shocked to be confronted by Inman aiming a gun at him demanding the officers handcuff each other and saying he was going to bundle them in the back of their own van.
Aware of the mounting danger, Sgt Goldsmith calmly negotiated with Inman and he agreed to leave them in the back garden and take their equipment to get away.
Sgt Goldsmith said he was delighted by the honour. He said: "I was really pleased. "It makes me feel that I must have done something right because I'm still here to tell the tale.
"It's not just for me, it is also my colleague Pc Martin and the firefighter.
"It's about team effort and about the investigation team. I would like to thank the officers that came to help us. They have been with us every step of the way."
The citation recognises the men's "bravery, composure and the ability to manage a situation of utmost danger".
Detective Inspector Nick Hunt, the lead officer in the case, said: "This incident began as a routine report of a neighbour dispute in Peterborough but quickly escalated into a very serious incident in which officers were threatened by an armed man.
"Such circumstances would be frightening and distressing for any person to deal with but the police and fire officers showed great bravery and composure in the way they reacted."
Inman has pleaded guilty to a number of charges including robbery, kidnapping and possession of a gun and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He will be sentenced on December 7.
Related:
Video: Two arrests in gun hunt, 9 June 2009.
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Thursday 29 July 2010
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