Officers who tackled armed intruder in Berkshire school given bravery awards
The school had to go into lockdown during the incident in March 2023
Seven officers with Thames Valley Police who tackled and detained an armed intruder in the corridors of a busy Slough school have won bravery awards.
On 27 March 2023, Sgt Andy Grant, PC Patrick Rumbol, PC Prathaban Puvindran, PC Abbie Chambers, PC Michael Allington, DC Heather Bainbridge, PC Matthew Aldridge were called to St Joseph’s Catholic High School, following reports of an intruder armed with a possible firearm.
When the officers arrived at the school they were told that the young man was very agitated. He was threatening staff members in a school corridor, stating that he had a firearm, he was “ready to die”, and that everyone else was going to go down too.
The school’s headteacher, supported by his colleagues, had put the school into ‘lockdown’, moving all children to safe classrooms and engaging the suspect in the corridor in order to prevent his escape or any further escalation.
PC Rumbol recalled: “The headteacher guided us in through a door to a place where we could get close to the suspect without being seen. I drew my Taser and was intending to challenge the suspect, but when I came round the corner he was standing too close to me, and he was also wearing a puffer jacket so it wouldn’t have worked.
“He was standing there with his hand inside a bag, so I thought we’d better be quick. So we just grabbed him: I grabbed one arm, other officers grabbed his other arm, we got his hand out of the bag and got him safely to the ground.”
The man continued to struggle and actively tried to assault the officers. During the struggle, a large kitchen knife fell from the suspect’s trouser waistband, but luckily he was not carrying a firearm.
PC Aldridge recalled: “My adrenaline was going. It’s one of the scariest things we’ve had to do, because you’re thinking, ‘This could go really badly for everyone’. But I think we dealt with it the best way we could.”
At the time, PC Chambers was a new-in-service officer. She said: “You don’t hear about incidents like this too often in the UK, and the children and staff had definitely never experienced anything like this before. My first thought was to get them safe.
“I’d never dealt with a gun before, and I think all of our hearts were racing, but our main priority was the children and the school staff. The children were very scared and hiding underneath tables in their classrooms.
“After we restrained the man, we had to clear the rest of the school, as we weren’t 100% sure that it was just one suspect. It was a very different job to what we were used to.”
Meanwhile parents were arriving at the school in a state of panic, as they had received distressed calls from their children who were in hiding. Sgt Grant remained on scene and, along with the headteacher, he helped to reassure parents, staff and pupils.
The suspect was charged and remanded into prison but was later detained indefinitely in a secure psychiatric hospital.
After the incident, the school’s headteacher sent a message of gratitude to Thames Valley Police, saying: “Faced with a difficult situation today, the officers who attended…were simply amazing. I can’t thank you all enough for the professionalism, bravery and courage they all showed today in keeping us safe. They were brilliant.”
When he heard that the team had been nominated for a Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Award, Sgt Grant said: “I’m really pleased for the team, they did a cracking job. It’s great that people are celebrating their hard work.”
PC Rumbol said he was “surprised and honoured”. He added: “I would like to mention the teachers who were there throughout, and who stalled the young man before we could arrive. That was very commendable.”
PC Aldridge said: “I was really proud. You don’t do this job for recognition, but it’s a nice feeling. There’s a lot of negative coverage of policing in the press, but this gives you a reason for doing the job. I was very grateful to receive it.”
PC Chambers also appreciated the award nomination, saying: “It’s good that people recognise the work we do, and how scary things can be sometimes – a lot of people might not know that we are responding to incidents like this.”
Thames Valley Police Federation Chair Aileen O’Connor said: “These officers acted quickly and professionally in a very volatile situation. Thankfully we don’t hear of incidents such as these very often in our country but we all know how catastrophic they can be.
“This incredible team of officers made split-second decisions that succeeded in containing the threat and protecting pupils and staff.
“We are very proud of them and they are very worthy winners of a Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Award.”
Sgt Grant, PC Rumbol, PC Puvindran, PC Chambers, PC Allington, DC Bainbridge and PC Aldridge will attend the 2025 Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Awards on 1 May.