THREE police officers who boarded a boat in dangerous conditions to restrain a man who was threatening to set himself alight have won Defence Police Federation Bravery Awards.

At 11.20pm on September 11 2023, Sgt Mark Randles, PC Josh Smith and PC Shaun Kester of the MDP Devonport Marine Unit were tasked with assisting Devon & Cornwall Police with a man who was on a yacht 12 nautical miles south of Rame Head, Cornwall and trying to take his own life.

An RNLI lifeboat had approached the yacht, but it had attempted to ram them and the man had shouted abuse at the crew.

Sgt Randles recalled: “We had an issue locating them as it was a very dark night and we were acting on very sparse intelligence. It was a long way out, and if we needed any further support, it would have taken a considerable amount of time for any of our vessels to get out there.”

When the MDP officers arrived at the scene on their patrol boat, they attempted to communicate with Devon & Cornwall Police officers, who were on a lifeboat. They had a police negotiator with them, as the man on the yacht had threatened to set himself on fire.

Due to the distance offshore, the officers’ radios were intermittent at best, and it was difficult to talk to the local officers, so Sgt Randles maintained communication with them via his personal mobile phone.

He also used this method to communicate with the control room, the Force Information Manager for Devon & Cornwall Police, and a marine tactical advisor, who was based in Wales. They managed to speak to the coastguard on the VHF radio.

Sgt Randles, PC Smith and PC Kester spent a long time alongside the lifeboat, receiving constant updates from the Devon & Cornwall Police negotiator who had made contact with the man. They also received visual confirmation that the man had opened a large can of fuel.

After several hours, the Devon & Cornwall Force incident manager spoke with Sgt Randles and asked if we could resolve the incident safely. Sgt Randles requested a RHIB (inflatable boat) to act as a boarding vessel and that PC Smith and PC Kester would be the arrest team.

PC Smith recalled: “We weren’t 100% sure where the man was on the vessel, so we tactically boarded, with fire extinguishers and ballistic shields for our protection.”

When the officers boarded the yacht at 5.18am, PC Smith found an open petrol container in the cockpit. He secured this before both officers entered the cabin area, where they found knives on a nearby surface, although luckily the man had fallen asleep.

The officers woke the man, and his demeanour was erratic; he started shaking uncontrollably. He continued to threaten to end his life and resisted the officers’ attempts to calm and restrain him. PC Kester convinced the male that his yacht was in danger and escorted him to the cockpit area where PC Smith arrested him on suspicion of attempted criminal damage to the lifeboat.

With help from Sgt Randles, the officers got the man onto the police launch and transported him to Millbay marina, all the time reassuring him and helping him to feel safe and secure. Devon & Cornwall Police officers arrived and took the man into custody. He was later de-arrested and detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

The incident was difficult due to the officers having to operate at a substantial distance from the shore, at night, with poor communications. It also involved multiple agencies, including the local police force, the Border Agency and RNLI.

PC Smith said: “We didn’t expect to be nominated for an Award, though it’s nice to be recognised for the work we’ve done. This job was a little bit different to our normal work, as it was so far out at sea and the comms were so difficult.”

PC Kester said: “It was a long night, but we got a good outcome. As police officers, we train for this kind of thing, but as far as I know it’s the first time, we’ve had to do this. We worked well together as a team.”

Sgt Randles said: “Sometimes we take what we do for granted, and we shouldn’t do that. It’s the risks involved – 12 miles out at sea, in the pitch black, with a suicidal male with mental health issues, it could have gone so wrong. But nobody said to me: ‘I don’t want to do this’. They accepted it as part of the job and they got on with it.”

Eamon Keating, Chair of the Defence Police Federation, said: “What great work from Mark, Josh and Shaun. Mark led this incident with great professionalism and Josh and Shaun were brave to go aboard the yacht in the dark, not knowing how many people were on board, whether the man was doused in fuel waiting for them to board the vessel, or if he had weapons.
“All three officers displayed quick thinking and great communication skills in order to avoid a potential struggle in a very confined space. They are very worthy winners.”

Sgt Randles, PC Smith and PC Kester will attend a glittering Awards Ceremony in Southampton on November 21, where they will receive their accolade.

The Awards are sponsored by Serve and Protect Credit Union, Uniform Mortgages, National Police Healthcare Scheme, Accord, KM Law, Blackfords, Bluline and Police Mutual.

The hashtag for the event is #DPFAwards.

If you are affected by this post, please contact the Samaritans on 116123.