Dr Billings attended the Police Public Bravery Awards ceremony in London on Tuesday, 31 October.

This is a national scheme whereby the police service acknowledges brave actions on the part of the public in incidents involving the police.

The award ceremony was organised on behalf of all the country’s police forces by South Yorkshire Police and the Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, presided.

There were in fact three people from South Yorkshire who received medals and citations. The Commissioner went to support them.

The three award winners were: Samuel Atkinson from Barnsley, who stopped his car and successfully managed to prevent an elderly man falling to his almost certain death from a bridge over the M1, though Samuel was almost pulled over the bridge himself;

Daniel Brassett from Mexborough who confronted an armed robber and prevented a robbery at the Majeed Store; and Simon Ellis from Gleadless, Sheffield, who went to the aid of PC Lisa Bates after she had been severely injured with an axe by Nathan Sumner.

In each case the award winners had put their own safety second to the needs of others.

The ceremony concluded with the award of the Binney Medal to the most outstanding act of bravery of all over the past year.

This went to Bernard Kenny who had tried to save Jo Cox MP for Batley and Spen after she had been stabbed and shot by Thomas Mair, a right-wing fanatic outside her constituency office in Birstall. Bernard was himself stabbed in the stomach by Mair. The award was given posthumously.