Just Rewards

The Police bravery award is considered to be a prestigious award amongst Police Officers all across Britain. It is given to honour Officers who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty. In 2014 Sgt Chris Foster, a courageous and stouthearted family man was granted the award for his heroic actions on a bitterly cold winter’s night in January 2014.

The incident took place when Sgt. Foster sighted a man beating another man with a baseball bat and when trying to reprimand the attacker he was forced to act on his feet. The assailant then pulled a firearm and pointed it at Sgt.Foster who intuitively used his incapacitant spray to restrain the attacker. “Instincts just take over in situations like this, you have no time to think, you just act”, Said Sgt. Foster.

Receiving a bravery award isn’t a typical day at the office on the force, a proud and dignifying moment for the South Yorkshire man who stated, “it was a bit embarrassing really”. Sgt Foster then modestly underlined that he felt uncomfortable to be singled out for what every other Police officer does on a regular basis. However, appreciative of the award he said, “its nice to be recognised for what you do”

Behind The Badge

Sgt.Foster has not always been an enforcer of the law but in his early career path his dynamism saw him still enforcing rules as he taught the youthful minds for eleven years. Believe it or not, the reasoning for such a diverging career change was to do “something a bit less stressful”, Said Sgt Foster.

When asked about what the perks of been a Police Officer are Sgt. Foster took a humorous route to what is more than a serious profession. “you get to lock bad guys up” and “you get to drive a fast car” were his responses, indicating that when dealing with such a high pressure job you have to stay positive minded and not let the mental affects take control.

The incredibly demanding nature of been on the force offers one big drawback for a family man such as Sgt. Foster as time for his family can become somewhat neglected. Long shifts throughout the day and night can see him stuck at the office with no end in sight, only dreaming he was at the football with his children. Sgt. Foster said, “I can always find a way to watch Barnsley”

Unfortunately, in some aspects of today’s society we often witness Police officers represented in a negative light and see them at the forefront of close scrutiny and criticism from people who have disregarded their help, Sgt Foster stated, ” there are a few people complaining about what you do”. However, that does not dishearten this particular officer as tirelessly serving justice everyday is a “morality boost”.

All the blood, sweat and tears appears to have paid off for Sgt. Foster as in 2016 he was again rewarded, this time with a promotion that saw him hit the ranks of Chief Inspector. Inspector Foster is a favourable reminder that the Police force are constantly on the field of battle working to keep our communities safe.