A FORMER Callington policeman appeared on prime-time TV this week - honoured for his courage in the face of danger.

PC Simon Dell received the 'Beyond the Call of Duty' award at The Mirror newspaper's Pride of Britain Awards, which were screened on Wednesday, for saving a family in a burning building in the town.

PC Dell and his colleague PC Jim Pollock were on duty at Callington police station in Saturday February 10 last year when two members of the public ran onto the police station to report a burning building on Fore Street. PC Dell ran to the premises and alerted the control room to call the fire service while PC Pollock collected equipment.

When he reached the building, PC Dell realised there was a serious fire in the second storey front room. A distressed woman, who was standing outside with an eight-year-old-girl told PC Dell that her 12-year-old son, David, was still inside. As he tried to enter the flat, PC Dell was beaten back by the thick smoke. He tried again, crawling up the stairs by getting as low to the ground as he could.

Screaming

On the second floor he realised the crying and the screaming were coming from the floor above him. He worked his way along the landing, passing the room which was on fire and went up the stairs. As he crawled along the third floor landing, he considered going back because of the choking smoke but he kept going forward.

He eventually found the boy and retraced his steps, burning his hands and neck as he tried to protect the boy. When he got outside, the woman told him that her husband was still in the building.

PC Pollack arrived with his torch and the two officers went up the stairs to the room above the fire. PC Dell groped around and found the body of the unconscious man who was brought down the stairs and into the street. Both officers were treated for smoke inhalation and PC Dell suffered burns to his face and hands and carbon monoxide poisoning.

'Had it not been for Jim I would still have gone in but I don't think I would have got out,' said PC Dell, who is now based at police headquarters in Exeter.