In 27 September last year, PC Jones was driving occurred on the A339 near Kingsclere on her way home from work when she came across a traffic accident, with a crashed vehicle in the road.
She pulled over to assist, as there were no emergency services at the scene.
A member of the public told her that there was a man inside the crashed vehicle. PC Jones went up to the car and checked on the man’s welfare, but the suspect reached for a metal hand tool from his bag.
Thinking quickly, PC Jones grabbed the man and managed to detain him, despite not wearing any PPE or having any police equipment. She continued to keep the man there until marked units arrived to control the scene and arrest the suspect.
The man was disqualified from driving and fined.
PC Jones said: “It was unexpected to come across that scene because I’d just driven round the corner. When you’re in that kind of situation, you don’t really think, you just do. It’s only afterwards that I thought, ‘Oh, should I have done that on my own?’.
“Receiving this is nice, though I didn’t expect it. But it’s good to feel recognised for what you do.”
Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said: “Despite being off-duty, PC Jones showed a real commitment to the public that night to detain this armed man until colleagues arrived on the scene.
“I commend her for her courage and quick thinking.”
