A Public Services student at City and Islington College (CANDI) has received a Commander’s Commendation by the Metropolitan Police after saving a man who fell from a bus.
Met Police cadet Deontay Campbell-Taylor-Ming, 17, administered first aid to the man and stayed with him for an hour until paramedics arrived to take him to hospital.
Deontay was recognised for his professionalism and bravery and presented with the award at a ceremony at the Tower of London. He was also shortlisted for a Metropolitan Police Excellence Award.
He recalled how he was on his way home to Tower Hamlets last December when he spotted a crowd clustered around a man lying on the ground, but no one was helping.
“The man had fallen from the bottom step and hit his head on the pavement. There wasn’t much blood but there was a large bump,” he said.
“He was also complaining of abdominal pain, so I did a primary survey, checked his airways were clear and that his breathing was regular. I put him in the recovery position and got someone in the crowd to call an ambulance.”
When he heard there would be an hour wait, Deontay recognised the need for a defibrillator and flagged down a police car and carried out a full handover to the officers.
The officers at the scene described Deontay’s intervention and handling of the situation as “exceptional.”
Deontay joined the Met Police’s volunteer cadet programme at the age of 10 after officers visited his primary school, St Paul with St Luke in Bow. He is now a Team Leader and still attends weekly sessions on first aid, legislation and procedure and fitness.
He said his cadet training along with the skills and knowledge he had gained on his Public Services diploma, had given him the confidence to step up when others hesitated.
Deontay said: “I am not really surprised that people stand about watching rather than helping. For many people my age their first reaction is to get their phone out to record it rather than getting involved.
“If first aid training was an option, more people would know what to do.”
Deontay said his actions on the day were “second nature” and thinks first aid lessons should be an option for all school pupils.
“I think personally it is all about confidence. You build it up, so when you have to you intrinsically want to help,” he said.
Deontay attended the awards ceremony with his family who he said were “delighted” that his initiative and decisive action had been rewarded.
PC Reece Buckley, Cadet Co-ordinator for the Central East Command Unit said: “Deontay has spent a number of years with us in which we have watched him grow in confidence and in leadership. In this situation, Deontay launched into action, remembering his Cadet training, when everyone else stood by.”
Nigel Lewis, Curriculum Leader for Public Services at CANDI, himself a former Met Police officer, said Deontay’s award was well-deserved.
He said: “Through his college and police cadet work Deontay is knowledgeable about police practice and procedure and very conscientious. He has volunteered to police many community events and is the sort of person who would do very well in a public services role.”
