Brave police officers stopped a driver speeding the wrong way down the M4 by crashing into her vehicle.
PCs Mark Martin-Dye and Callum Bushell responded to a call about a small car travelling the wrong way between Junctions 5 and 6 in Berkshire at around 3.10am on Christmas Day, 2020.
The police pair joined the motorway at junction 10, for Reading and Wokingham, and sped towards the incident with blue lights flashing, then saw the car they had been called about heading towards them at 70mph.
PC Martin-Dye slowed the police car down to a relatively low speed and activated the sirens to make the driver aware of their presence, then pointed the police car slightly towards lane three to encourage the vehicle to stop.
But the driver did not react in any noticeable way, so the officer carried out a perfectly-timed tactical manouevre, moving the police vehicle towards the car and nudging its rear offside section at a specific angle as it passed him.
After the cars collided at speed, the offender travelled 50 metres and then stopped in lane one, still facing the wrong way. No-one was injured.
Despite severe damage to the front wheel, PC Martin-Dye managed to move the police car behind the other to provide cover from oncoming traffic.
PC Bushell then pulled the driver from the offending vehicle while PC Martin-Dye closed lanes one and two before several other units attended to assist.
The offending driver passed a roadside breath test and provided a negative drug wipe. She was then detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
🚔 "This is the only time I've been praised for crashing a police car!"
— Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) December 11, 2023
Two of our officers showed incredible skill and courage to stop a wrong-way driver - and they have now been awarded for it 🌟
Watch the incident unfold below and read more here ➡️ https://t.co/kI3jvPzoiJ pic.twitter.com/0CuB28q904
Thames Valley Police’s chief constable, Jason Hogg, has awarded the two courageous officers for their actions.
PC Martin-Dye said: “This is the only time I've been praised for crashing a police car.
“Working on Roads Policing, I had always known that I may have to deal with a wrong way runner, however the danger of the situation did not really hit me until sometime after the incident.
“I'm just delighted that my training paid off and that nobody was hurt. The support I received from my colleagues afterwards was amazing.”
Both of the officers involved have either received or are due to receive bravery awards from the Police Federation.
PC Bushell said: “I feel privileged to receive this award and appreciate the recognition for our actions from that night.”
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