2022 Winner
PC MAT EVANS
Off-duty police officer who tackled a knifeman who’d stabbed an NHS worker outside hospital.
PC Mat Evans, 42, was on a trip to London when he saw an incident unfolding at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
Mohammed Uddin, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, had ambushed a 999 worker outside the hospital, stabbing them in the chest.
Despite being off-duty, PC Evans positioned himself between the attacker and the victim, preventing further injury, before chasing Uddin when he ran away.
PC Evans, part of the West Midland Police’s Birmingham city centre team, rugby-tackled him to the ground and grabbed the knife from his grip, despite being bitten and later attacked by bystanders. He kept hold of Uddin until police officers arrived and thanks to his evidence, Uddin was convicted of wounding with intent and jailed for 12 years.
The victim underwent emergency surgery and made a full recovery. PC Evans, who has been with West Midlands Police for 22 years, said afterwards: “Incidents like this make you realise being a police officer isn’t a job, it’s a state of mind you can never turn off, even when not at work. When I saw the guy being stabbed, for me there wasn’t a choice to make; I had to stop him before he killed someone.”
He added: “I was in a life or death fight over the knife which was a pretty brutal and prolonged fight with the knife man and the crowd.” West Midlands Police Chief Constable Dave Thompson, said: “Mat is a cracking officer. He is a big presence in Birmingham city centre and an outstanding award-winner for this selfless act. He is one of our finest.”