PC praised for squeezing through gap to save man

A police officer who threw off her body armour to squeeze through a narrow gap and save the life of a man who was self-harming has been commended for her "tremendous bravery".

PC Louisa Anderson, of Derbyshire Police, attended a call to a barricaded flat in June 2025. She and a colleague were able to open the door narrowly and saw a man stabbing himself.

She removed her protective vest to squeeze through the opening and was able to Taser the man and disarm him, preventing him from doing further damage to himself, the Police Federation of England and Wales said.

Anderson has been nominated for an honour at this year's national Police Bravery Awards, which are due to take place on Thursday.

The federation said Anderson attended the initial call with a colleague to assist in the execution of a warrant, but were told on arrival there had been no response from inside the flat.

After drilling the lock, the door rebounded, showing it had been barricaded from within.

Officers were able to open the door enough to create a "narrow opening" and this allowed them to see the man, who was "repeatedly stabbing himself", the federation said.

Officers intensified their efforts to enter the flat, and Anderson unholstered her Taser and discharged it while issuing a "clear verbal warning".

This caused the man to fall back, creating a window for the officer to remove her protective vest to squeeze into the property.

"As she did so, the Taser cycle ended and the male resumed stabbing himself," the federation said.

Anderson deployed the Taser again and this allowed her to move in, disarm the man and secure the knife.

"Once the weapon had been removed, she began administering urgent first aid, taking control of the scene and working to stabilise the male until further assistance arrived," the federation said.

Rachel Swann, who was Derbyshire Police's chief constable at the time, said Anderson's actions "saved this man's life" and the force was "incredibly proud of her".

"PC Anderson showed outstanding courage and compassion in an extremely difficult and fast-moving situation," she said.

"The outcome could have been very different if she had not shown tremendous bravery by removing her body armour to squeeze through a narrow gap, immediately engaging with the man to get the knife away from him."

Derbyshire Police Federation branch secretary Chris Parker said Anderson's actions represented "policing at its very best".

"PC Anderson's courage and presence of mind in an extremely difficult and dangerous situation were exemplary," Parker said.

"She demonstrated exceptional bravery, calm judgement and selflessness, putting the welfare of another above her own."

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