Several West Mercia Police officers received commendations at a policing awards ceremony following a successful investigation into disorder which took place before the October 2012's League One match between Shrewsbury Town and Walsall.The officers in question were awarded for their courage, determination and professionalism in the incident. PC’s Lee Saunders, David Harte, Andy Gardner and West Midlands Police Officer Louise Davies were all deployed to deal with significant disorder prior to the game.
The violence quickly turned towards the police when they arrived on the scene leaving the officers in an intimidating and vulnerable situation.
Despite this the officers acted courageously and managed to prevent the escalation of the violence until support from colleagues arrived.
PC Lee Sauders suffered a significant injury due to the violence the officers were faced with.
After a lengthy and difficult investigation conducted by Inspector James Dunn, Sergeant Julie Shepherd, PC Ben Hocking and PC Kev Maxwell and Ceri Brian, over 30 individuals were arrested.
30 defendants appeared before court in connection with the disorder and the majority issued guilty pleas thanks to the weight of evidence against them.
Many defendants were given custodial sentences and 22 were given football banning order for 4-6years.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Davies of Shropshire Police told the Shropshire Star: “This was an outstanding result and sends a strong message to those individuals who engage in football violence. Local communities can be reassured that violence of this nature will not be tolerated and West Mercia Police will use everything in our power to ensure offenders are brought to justice.”
Source: The Shropshire Star.