A Metropolitan Police officer who risked his safety to cling onto and save the life of a 12-year-old girl who was threatening to jump off a roof has won a London Police Bravery Award.
At around 7.30pm on 26 September 2023, Sgt Scott Read responded to a call from a member of the public who had seen a young woman standing on the roof of a four-storey house.
When he arrived at the scene, Sgt Read realised that the female in question was actually a child.
He began making urgent efforts to gain access to the premises, while also calling the London Ambulance Service. He managed to get someone to open the door to the house, and raced upstairs.
He went up to the loft extension and found the 12-year-old girl’s mother trying to talk to her through a Velux window. Sgt Read also tried to engage with the girl through the window.
He recalled: “It was really cold and windy and there was a storm coming in. I didn’t know whether she was actually intending to jump or not, but I was also concerned she might get blown off the roof.”
The girl then left the flat roof and walked over to the pitched roof that stuck out over the ground. She slid down to the edge of the roof and stood up, her toes curled over the edge of the wall.
Sgt Read pulled off his body armour and belt and squeezed through the window, climbing out onto the roof in an effort to save the girl.
He said: “There was a lot of negotiating, trying to talk her back towards me. She was going through phases of thinking about it. And it was getting quite frightening because she was going through states of sitting calmly on the edge of the flat roof, and then she was jumping up and climbing down to the edge.
“I was worried that these gusts of winds were coming in strong. I was worried that if I had to try and grab her, that I was going to fall as well. It was quite nerve wracking, it was one of the more frightening things I've done.”
Eventually a police negotiator arrived at the scene and started talking to the girl from another window. They managed to convince the girl to climb up the slope and back onto the flat roof.
Sgt Read said: “Once she was near enough for me to grab, I grabbed hold of her and I wasn’t letting her go. It was one of the biggest bear hugs I've ever given, and I just held her tight. The fire brigade hadn't started getting a ladder up, because they didn't want to scare her into doing anything silly. So once I had her tight, they worked out how to get a ladder up to us.”
He kept holding onto the girl for another 20 minutes. It was freezing cold and the girl, who was just wearing leggings and a T-shirt, was showing signs of hypothermia.
After about 20 minutes, the fire brigade managed to get a ladder up to the roof and a firefighter brought the girl down to safety.
The girl’s mother later got in touch with the police and thanked Sgt Read for saving her daughter's life. She said her daughter was receiving mental health support and was back at school and enjoying life. She said she would never forget what he did “until her dying day”.
Sgt Read said: “It’s one of those moments in your career where you sit down afterwards and take a minute, and think, ‘That could have gone really differently. Thank God it didn’t’.”
He said he was surprised to receive a Bravery Award: “I certainly wasn't tackling anyone who had a sword or some of the other stories you will have heard, but it makes me feel proud to be a police officer and do the job that I do.”
Metropolitan Police Federation Chair Paula Dodds said: “This incident once again shows how Metropolitan Police officers are much more than crime fighters.
"Despite the physically challenging conditions and psychologically stressful situation, Scott remained calm and professional throughout this long ordeal. His courage that evening most saved the girl’s life.”
Sgt Read will attend the 2026 London Police Bravery Awards on Thursday 26 March.
At the event, three overall winners or teams will be announced, and they will attend the National Police Federation Bravery Awards in July.
The Gold sponsors of the London Police Bravery Awards are Police Friendly & Metfriendly, Axon, and Officer Insurance Cover, by Everywhen.
The Silver sponsors are Slater and Gordon Lawyers and JMW Solicitors.
The Bronze sponsors are Police Mortgages, Serve and Protect Credit Union, Accord, THB Solicitors, the National Police Healthcare Scheme, Uniform Mortgages, Addept, No1 CopperPot Credit Union, No5 Chambers, Blackfords and Penningtons Manches Cooper.
If you are affected by this story, please contact the Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/.
