Not all heroes wear capes.
An officer broke through the ice to pull two dogs out of a frozen lake. PC Jamie Walker, the hero officer, receives Bravery Award for saving dogs.
PC Jamie Walker is an off-road motorbike South Yorkshire police officer who received a South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Award for his courageous actions.
The heroic act happened at Silverwood Nature Reserve in Rotherham in December 2022, on one of winter's coldest days, when PC Walker noticed a woman waving for help.
As he rushed to investigate, he saw a woman seven meters out in the water.
He hurried and saw the lady trying to rescue her two pugs who had fallen through the ice.
Without regard for his safety, he rushed into waist-high water and grabbed one of the dogs treading water in a hole in the freezing ice.
He then went back to help and ensure the lady's safety who was carrying the other dog.
PC Walker said:
“My first thought was that somebody was in trouble in the water, so I rode up as fast as I could, dropped the bike on the ground and I ran up to the lakeside. It was at that point then that I realised that she was trying to rescue the dog.
The ice was quite thick and I had to crunch it to get through. One of the pugs was underwater and I knew I had to help her. She was so concerned about the dogs and I’m a dog lover, so you just do what you think is the right thing at the time.”
PC Walker described the water as “horrendously” cold and rushed in even with his full motorbike, complete with boots, body armor, plastic kneepads, and thermals, which made his return to shore difficult.
After the incident, PC Walker emptied his boots and returned to work, finishing the remaining five hours of his shift in wet clothes.
He added:
“It’s lovely to get this Award – especially when I think of all my colleagues out there doing brave things all the time. I’m very grateful to the Federation for nominating me.”
Steve Kent, Chair of the South Yorkshire Police Federation, praised PC Walker’s selflessness on such a cold, midwinter day.
Steve said: “As police officers, we are expected to protect life and limb. It takes a lot to wade into a freezing cold lake, especially given that cold water shock can be so perilous.
“This was a kind and courageous act, and the public should be grateful for officers like Jamie who step up where others would not.”
PC Walker picked up his award at South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Awards last May 25.
