26 Oct 2026
Five police officers who fought a roadside battle in St Albans to save a motorist following a life-threatening medical incident have been awarded top national life-saving honours.
PCs Nathan Bentley, David Vass Anthony Warby and two others who cannot be named have all been awarded Royal Humane Society Resuscitation Certificates following the incident in Beaconsfield Road on the morning of March 29 this year.
The officers administered cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the man after he collapsed at the wheel of his van and stopped breathing.
Their fight to save the man paid off and ultimately his pulse started again and was taken to hospital.
Praising the five officers, Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society said: “They did a wonderful job in difficult circumstances. As well as coping with the traffic they also had to cope with the crowd that had gathered, some of whom were trying to film what was happening on their phones. The end result was all they had hoped for though. They managed to bring the man back from the brink of death.
“They richly deserve the awards they are to receive. At the same time though there are many incidents where lives are saved and those involved never receive wards they deserve because their names have never been put forward.
“We appeal to members of the public if they hear of incidents in which lives have been saved, sometimes in circumstances where the life savers have put their own lives in danger, to bring them to our attention.”
The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back nearly 250 years. Other than awards made by the Crown it is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.
It was founded in 1774 by two of the day’s eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.
However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.
The Society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the Society has considered over 90,000 cases and made over 220,000 awards. The Society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.
