Branch chair Nick Munnelly has paid tribute to Sergeant Stu Coates ahead of this year’s national Police Bravery Awards.
Stu is set to be Northumbria Police’s representative at the annual Bravery Awards ceremony, which will be held on Thursday (10 July) in London. It will acknowledge outstanding acts of courage by officers across England and Wales.
This comes after Stu played an instrumental role in managing a fast-moving and highly dangerous public order situation in Sunderland last August at the height of demonstrations happening across the UK.
Sergeant Stu Coates.
An unplanned and leaderless protest escalated into widespread violence, and as the officer in charge of the Force’s mounted section, it was up to Stu to lead a unit of six colleagues in containing the disorder.
This included confronting an unpredictable crowd of several hundred on their own, as well as standing firm during a number of other flashpoints.
Stu, riding on police horse Petronus, was an ever-present leader throughout – even after being struck in the head with a concrete block, where he said his helmet ‘saved my life’.
Thanks to decisive tactics and strong resolve, the cop of 28 years and his team eventually helped turn the tide on the rioting, preventing matters from reaching a nearby mosque and residential community and continuing to assist the Force late into the night.
Bravery
You can read more about Stu’s account of the evening here.
Nick said: “At a very demanding time for our Force and for police up and down the country, Stu stepped up when he was needed the most. The bravery and skill he showed to lead his team with tactics, motivation and general guidance was truly exceptional policing.
“The fact that he took such a heavy blow to the head with a concrete block and kept going tells you everything you need to know about his commitment that evening.
“The mounted section is often the officers people look towards to gain control of a public order situation, so with a lot of pressure on their shoulders, Stu and his team did exceptionally well.
“On behalf of the Federation, I would like to say how proud we are of him and send him our best wishes for the Bravery Awards ceremony this week. Good luck, Stu.”
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