Fort librarian receives police bravery award
A woman who ensured her workplace was cleared of the public and colleagues after a man placed a handgun in front of a member of staff has been presented with a bravery award.
Sandra MacLean, 63, who worked at the time as a supervisor at Fort William Library, ensured the building was cleared, then entered the library again by herself after police had been contacted.
She checked the man was still sitting where he had been last seen working on a computer and discreetly checked no-one else remained in the building before leaving through the rear door.
Sandra then left the relative safety of the rear car park and went to front of the building where she locked the front doors, ensuring no-one could enter and, just as importantly, that the man could not leave that way either. Sandra also provided a detailed description of the man’s appearance to police officers who arrived to take control of the situation.
The man, then aged 26, was subsequently jailed for 18 months in connection with the incident on May 25 2017. The handgun proved to be a replica.
Sandra said: ‘I am very grateful to Police Scotland for the award. In many ways I don’t feel like I deserve an award but that in no way diminishes my gratitude for it.
‘What I did at the time didn’t feel especially brave. It was simply the obvious thing to do, to make sure the library was clear of people and that no-one else could get in.
‘Receiving the award put that whole day into perspective with the wider police investigation and I thank the officers for how they handled the situation when they arrived.’
Sandra was presented with her Police Public Bravery Award earlier this week by Highlands and Islands divisional commander Chief Superintendent George Macdonald.
He said: ‘Sandra’s calm and professional response to an undeniably frightening situation helped ensure the immediate safety of the public and her staff.
‘Her initial actions also prevented the incident from escalating and allowed police to bring the situation to a swift conclusion on arrival without creating any wider risk to the public.
‘She deserves a lot of credit for her response and I was delighted to present her with this award to recognise the bravery of her actions.’