PCSO who helped save the life of stabbing victim after Milton Keynes attack is commended by Chief Constable

A PCSO who helped save a stabbing victim's life after giving emergency first aid, has been commended for his quick thinking.

Paul Colborne was recognised at a Chief Constable Awards Ceremony, for providing lifesaving first aid to a person found with a stab wound in Milton Keynes.

Officers received a call from a member of the public reporting that someone had been stabbed; PCSO Colborne was the first on scene and immediately applied pressure to the stab wound to stem the bleeding.

Once paramedics arrived, the officers continued assisting with providing first aid.

If the victim had not received this treatment before paramedics arrived then they may not have survived.

PCSO Paul Colborne was among a number of police officers and staff recognised at the awards ceremony organised by Thames Valley Police.

The awards, held on February 12, recognise those that have gone above and beyond in their roles and have carried out exceptional work.

As well as investigating crime, officers sometimes find themselves in the position of having to give emergency first aid. PCSO Paul Colborne was commended for providing lifesaving first aid to a person who was found with a stab wound in Milton Keynes.

Officers received a call from a member of the public reporting that someone had been stabbed. PCSO Colborne was the first on scene and immediately applied pressure to the stab wound to stem the bleeding.

Once paramedics arrived, the officers carried on assisting with providing first aid.

If the victim had not received this treatment before paramedics arrived then they may not have survived.

Among those receiving an award was a team made up of various officers and members of staff for their work in an operation that was targeted at tackling county drug lines, aiming to deter and disrupt those trying to conduct their activity in the Thames Valley.

Thames Valley Police is committed through its Stronghold work to working in partnership to tackle serious organised crime and exploitation.

Over six months, the team worked hard to obtain intelligence that would give them an accurate picture of county drug lines within the force area. As a result, over 70 arrests were made, which subsequently led to a number of convictions, as well as numerous people being safeguarded. Over 800 wraps of drugs were also seized along with more than £20,000 in cash.

Also commended at this ceremony was DC Nicola Tompkins for her work as part of the CID team covering the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead area in investigating and dismantling an organised crime group (OCG).

Their work identified the leader of the OCG who was believed to be a high-level cocaine dealer. The team worked to identify the leader’s second in command as well as the extent of the drug dealing and the financial gain they were getting.

Through the gathering of intelligence and evidence against the pair it was discovered that the OCG was making over £325,000 a year through dealing high purity cocaine.

In 2020, the leader of the OCG and his second in command were sentenced to a combined total of over 14 years.

Other members of the team have also been commended and have already received their awards.

PCSO Ali Blood based in Abingdon, has also been commended for the continuous dedication, resilience and commitment she demonstrates every day.

This included two incidents where she assisted members of the public who had found themselves in difficulty. In August 2020, whilst out on cycle patrol PCSO Ali Blood discovered an elderly lady who had become disorientated and fallen into the river Ock in Abingdon where she was waist deep in mud. She had been in the water for around 20 minutes and was struggling to hold on to the river bank. Ali climbed into the river in order to support and comfort the lady whilst determining a way out of the mud and cold water, and remained there until other emergency services arrived to rescue the member of public.

In addition to the Chief Constable’s Commendations, long service awards were presented to 17 officers, staff and members of the Special Constabulary to recognise their dedication and commitment to Thames Valley Police.

Among those were Police Constable Matt Cumming who received his long service award for his volunteer role in setting up the Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire Cadets in 2016. The unit has gone from strength to strength, winning a number of awards, and leading to some of the cadets going on to join the force as officers, members of the Special Constabulary and PCSOs.

Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt , said: “You should all be amazingly proud of yourselves today. I would like to say a big thank you to your family and friends, it is tough working in policing and we simply couldn’t do our jobs without your support, so thank you.”

To close the ceremony, High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Monawar Hussain, said: “Courage, integrity, bravery and honesty are all key values that we should have and should nurture. You symbolise all of these. Thank you for all you do to serve, protect and keep us safe and thank you to your families.”