A pair of courageous police officers who skilfully stopped a wrong-way driver on the M4 on Christmas Day have been rewarded for their bravery.
Police received a call at 3.10am on December 25, 2020, reporting there was a small car travelling in the wrong direction in lane three of the M4 between Junction 5 (Langley) and Junction 6 (Slough/Windsor).
PCs Mark Martin-Dye and Callum Bushell responded by joining the motorway at Junction 10 and driving towards the car in a bid to intercept it.
Shortly after joining the M4, they spotted the vehicle heading towards them at about 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.
The officer also pointed the police car slightly towards lane three to encourage the vehicle to stop, however there was no obvious reaction from the driver.
PC Martin-Dye then decided to make tactical contact with the vehicle to bring it to a stop.
"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
Having to time the manoeuvre to perfection, PC Martin-Dye drove towards the vehicle and let it pass to his offside, then turned in to make contact with its rear offside.
The two vehicles collided, causing the offending vehicle to travel approximately 50m before coming to a stop in lane one, facing the wrong way.
Despite severe damage to the front wheel, PC Martin-Dye was able to move the police car into position behind the offending vehicle to provide cover from oncoming traffic.
Police said the speed of the oncoming vehicle may have been as high as 70mph at the point of impact but, due to the acute angle of impact between the two cars, nobody was injured.
PC Bushell pulled the driver from the offending vehicle while his colleague 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 detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
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.”
The duo received commendations from Thames Valley Police chief constable Jason Hogg at a ceremony in Sulhamstead on November 28.
They are also duo to receive recognition for their bravery from the Police Federation.
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