Heroes of BTP
The courage and dedication of BTP officers and Northern staff were honoured on an emotional night at RAIL’s National Rail Awards. STEFANIE FOSTER reports
A standing ovation to honour the courage of BTP officers and Northern rail staff during terror attacks.
Emotional, moving, humbling… all words which have been used on numerous occasions to describe
RAIL’s National Rail Awards on September 21, at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
This year’s awards could not have been allowed to pass without paying a proper tribute to the exceptional efforts of railway men and women under the most extreme circumstances. Presenting the awards that night, BBC News presenter Huw Edwards and RAIL’s Managing Editor Nigel Harris told the story…
On May 22, 22 people were killed and 120 injured while leaving an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, when a suicide bomber blew himself up near an exit within Manchester Victoria station.
Just 11 days later, on June 3, eight innocent bystanders were murdered at London Bridge, and dozens injured, when three terrorists ran pedestrians over in a van before then running amok, stabbing and slashing with long-bladed knives.
In both attacks, rail staff and British Transport Police officers were first responders. At Manchester, BTP were the last on the scene, too - it fell to them to clean up after rescue and forensic investigations were complete.
At Victoria on May 22, Arriva Rail
North staff were in the thick of it with the BTP as first responders, before Greater Manchester Police, paramedics and firefighters arrived.
The scene confronting BTP officers and Northern staff was horrific. One of the first four officers on the scene was PCSO Mark Renshaw, 24 years old, with five years’ BTP experience:
“I heard an extremely loud explosion - literally everything shook. I saw people running and screaming, and my initial response was to go the same way they were all running, but something kicked in and I ran through the barriers, up the steps and into the foyer.
“It was pretty obvious what had happened. I remember screaming down my radio to get my colleagues and first aiders here.”
He ran outside for first aid packs and dashed back to the scene.
“There was a little girl there,” Mark remembers. “She tapped me on my vest and said ‘can you help my mummy?’
“Her mum lay by the steps. There was nothing I could do to save her. So I picked the little girl up, walked her out of the station and passed her to Greater Manchester Police. Then I went back inside and tried to resuscitate two other people - but they both died on me.”
Mark and his colleagues carried on like this for two hours - using whatever they could find as makeshift stretchers.
BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther told Nigel Harris how his officers had, without hesitation, put themselves
in harm’s way to help others. On Saturday June 3, the London Bridge terrorist attack happened when three men ran over pedestrians in a van before launching a sustained knife attack in nearby Borough Market. Eight people were murdered and dozens injured.
National Rail Awards judges could not let this year’s awards pass without honouring those brave BTP officers and Northern staff who ran directly into danger to help during both attacks. They saved lives.
Amid a standing ovation from an audience of almost 1,200 industry leaders and railway staff, four special awards were made. The first three were group awards, recognising the courage and commitment of officers and rail staff in Manchester and London, with plaques to be displayed at the BTP and Northern offices in Manchester and BTP’s headquarters in London.
Among those collecting the award on behalf of the BTP in Manchester were two very special guests - PC Phil Healy, accompanied by Explosive Detection Dog Mojo.
Nigel Harris asked Phil to describe the role he and Mojo had following the attack…
“On the night it was my job to look for secondary devices. As I entered the station, I saw officers, rail staff and members of the public working on people who were severely injured. It was my job just to ignore that and to look for secondary devices. This put me into the main blast site, in among the deceased.
“I know Mojo wasn’t happy being there but unfortunately we had a job to do.
“He didn’t want to be there. Neither did I. Unfortunately, it’s what we train for - it’s what we had to do. Afterwards, he has suffered. He’s had a bit of stress-related alopecia. But he’s getting over it now.”
The final award of the evening was specially created, in Nigel Harris’ words, “to honour and recognise a most distinguished BTP officer - and a very brave man indeed”.
Huw Edwards described that particular BTP officer’s selfless gallantry, which judges felt merited special recognition.
At 2200 on June 3, London Bridge PC Wayne Marques was on routine patrol when he heard a woman screaming in terror.
Running towards the disturbance, Wayne found a man with multiple stab wounds being helped by other passers-by, after which he saw the screaming woman being repeatedly stabbed.
Another victim was being stabbed in the back by a second attacker. This victim fell to the ground - but the ferocious stabbing continued.
PC Marques suffered multiple deep slash wounds to his head, back, hand and thigh - but persevered in his brave attempt to overpower the three terrorists.
Owing to his injuries, however - including being blinded in one eye - he was unable to get clean strikes with his furiously swinging baton.
Eventually, the three terrorists stood shoulder to shoulder staring at him, while PC Marques drew on his training as a boxer and repeatedly told himself:
“Don’t go down!” as he braced himself for what he described as ‘round two’. But the terrorists then suddenly ran away.
Wayne finally sank to the ground, bleeding profusely from many wounds.
Other officers gave first aid and as he started to lose consciousness, Wayne gave his colleagues what he believed were final messages of love for his family:
“Darkness started gathering at the edge of my vision, and it gradually closed in until the final dot blinked out. I thought I was dying. That was the last I knew until I woke up in hospital.”
Nigel told the audience: “PC Marques’ heroism and courage while in mortal danger are crystal clear. He overpowered the first terrorist and stopped him stabbing a man lying on the floor.
“He then embarked on a selfless and valiant attempt to fight off all three terrorists in which he very nearly lost an eye.
“PC Wayne Marques demonstrated bravery, persistence and courage during a sustained attack in which he showed no thought for his own safety - and while he was entirely alone.”
All three terrorists were shot and killed by armed police within just eight minutes of the first emergency call - so it is clear that in keeping all three terrorists busy for as long as he did, PC Marques saved lives.
Paul Crowther recalls that the first time he saw Wayne at the hospital, he was still in his stab vest, covered in blood but conscious.
Paul said: “He looked sideways and saw me, and said “I’m so sorry boss - there was just too many of them.”
The NRA’s judges created a unique gold trophy specifically to honour PC Marques’ gallantry that night. Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling was invited to the stage to present the award, and had this to say:
“You have a collection of heroes in front of you tonight. I met many of this team in the aftermath of the Manchester bomb, and I’m hugely proud of what they did and very proud of the Northern rail team for whom this definitely is not part of the job description. Their bravery on the night was quite extraordinary and we are all very grateful to all of you for what you did - BTP and Northern alike.
“I spend a lot of my time as your guest dealing with planes, trains and automobiles, but one of the parts of my portfolio of which I am most proud is the BTP. Not just because of what you’ve heard about tonight, but because all across the country, whether it’s dealing with horrible incidents like the Croydon tram crash or the support they offered at Parsons Green, but actually out on a Saturday night or after school dealing with anti-social behaviour.
“We are hugely fortunate to have a dedicated team of officers, fantastically led, who do a brilliant job for this industry. And I think we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”
A standing ovation of many minutes, during which there was not a dry eye in the house, reflected the mutual respect and admiration the industry has for its heroes, and the pride they feel to be part of the railway family.
The ceremony was closed by a very special surprise guest, whose passionate poem features on the following pages…
There was a little girl there. She tapped me on my vest and said ‘can you help my mummy?’ Her mum lay by the steps. There was nothing I could do to save her. Then I went back inside and tried to resuscitate two other people - but they both died on me. PCSO Mark Renshaw, BTP