Steven Dennis, 44, was walking his dogs when he spotted the hooded suspect and confronted him. The man attacked the officer and ran off with PC Denniss in pursuit, but then turned, threatened him and stabbed him in the leg with a knife. The injured officer continued the chase and managed to call for back-up before directing his colleagues to the knifeman as he fled into a river in Louth, Lincolnshire. PC Denniss helped clear the area of bystanders as the suspect was arrested. The killer, Daniel Boulton, was later jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 40 years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and her nine-year-old son. After his trial, the judge praised the officer for his bravery. PC Denniss then said he was aware of the manhunt for Boulton and recognized him as he stood by a bench looking at a woman walking dogs. He said: “I was just doing my job. I protect life and property. That’s what I wrote. In hindsight, I would have answered exactly the same way. “If that woman walking dogs wasn’t there, I might have waited, called a gun squad and taken him out. But I didn’t care – he had to be arrested. “The fear was that it would be a protracted investigation and other members of the public would be put at risk if they came into contact with him. “I thought, ‘I’m going to arrest this man who has committed heinous crimes, killing a young woman and a young boy.’ PC Denniss was one of 76 officers nominated in the annual Police Bravery Awards, run by the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents the lower ranks. There were seven regional winners. In Leeds, two West Yorkshire officers were called after a man on a late night bus started waving a large knife around his head and threatening passengers. Image: PC Tom Swift and Sgt Mike Watkins Sergeant Mike Watkins and PC Tom Swift fired their Tasers at him as he refused to drop his weapon and advanced towards them, but they barely penetrated the knifemaker’s baggy clothing. When Sergeant Watkins drew and then dropped his baton, the suspect picked it up and continued to threaten the officers with both weapons. Even an incapacitating spray failed to stop him. Eventually the officers managed to rush the man and handcuff him and he was later hacked under the Mental Health Act. In a message delivered during the bravery awards dinner and ceremony in London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “These acts of bravery, honored here today by your colleagues and the public, are extraordinary and in line with the best traditions of policing. I welcome each and every one of the fantastic nominees to the awards. You are truly the best of the best. “It is absolutely right and proper that we honor and celebrate the work of our brave men and women in uniform who work every day to protect the public.” Three Greater Manchester police officers have won a regional award after they chased down and caught a gun-wielding man after they approached a group wandering the street and heard a gunshot nearby. A suspect ran away with what appeared to be a gun hidden in a bin bag and tried to get into a car, but was rear-ended by the speeding driver. Pictured: (L-R) PC Ginger, PC Hamblett and PC Hayes PC Jack Ginger and PC Richard Hayes chased him down several streets with PC Jessica Hamblett following in the squad’s unmarked patrol car. Officers eventually apprehended and arrested the man, and a search of the area found a converted Retay handgun with one round in the chamber. The chairman of the National Police Federation, Steve Hartshorn, said: “Across England and Wales, day in and day out, our police officers do everything they can to protect the public. They go to work every day, never knowing what they will face. they face danger and adversity, they go above and beyond the call of duty to protect us all. “Their acts of bravery go further than we would expect, the bravery displayed is truly extraordinary. From putting their lives on the line to save others, facing violent attackers and terrifying weapons, to rescuing people from dangerous situations in fast-flowing water or trapped hundreds of feet in the air, they faced danger head-on. “They don’t do it for recognition or praise, they’ll tell you they do it because it’s their job.”
