PC Ryan David, who has died aged 78, was a Metropolitan Police officer awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal (QGM) for his bravery in tackling a gang of armed robbers, and went on to earn what is thought to be the unique distinction for a serving officer of an award of a bar to his QGM.
In 1974 David, a police constabl​e based at Hornsey Police Station in north London, was in his patrol car when, alerted by a colleague, he took over the pursuit of a stolen Ford Corsair. The car contained four men, two of them armed with sawn-off shotguns, who were attempting to make a getaway after robbing a sub-post office in Upper Holloway.
PC David continued his pursuit even after one of the robbers fired at his car, striking the windscreen. When the Corsair was blocked by another patrol car, he followed the stolen car into a cul-de-sac, where the gunmen continued to fire at their pursuer.
“Constable David grappled with one of the gunmen to gain possession of his weapon,” the citation to his QGM recorded, “while the other gunman, who had been beating the officer on the arm with his gun, began loading his shotgun. Constable David was obliged to release his grip, but he managed to pull one of the unarmed members of the gang from the car and arrested him. At the same time other police officers ran towards the car and arrested another robber.”
!['Devotion to duty, great courage and a complete disregard for [his] own safety'](https://www.newsbeep.com/us-ny/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/c4acbbde97be43fcfd880711d62f3b1c.jpeg)
‘Devotion to duty, great courage and a complete disregard for [his] own safety’ – Courtesy of famiily
Eventually all four miscreants were arrested and PC David, who needed hospital treatment for injuries to his arm, was one of three officers awarded the QGM. “All the officers involved in the arrest of these armed and dangerous men… displayed devotion to duty, great courage and a complete disregard for their own safety,” the citation concluded.
The Bar to David’s QGM was awarded in 1976 follow​ing an incident in December 1975 when he received an emergency call to go to Highgate Archway road bridge where a mentally disturbed 18-year-old man was threatening to leap 60ft into the road below. When attempts to gain the youth’s confidence failed, PC David climbed over the railings on to the parapet high above the road.
“The young man… made to jump from the bridge,” the citation recorded, “but Constable David released his own hold on the bridge, moved quickly forwards and seized the youth, forcing him backwards against the railings. The man began to struggle violently in an attempt to break free and at times his legs were off the bridge.
“By this time another police officer had climbed down to the ledge and stood behind Constable David, holding his clothing. To onlookers it appeared that the three men would all fall to their death.”
As David recalled later: “I was told afterwards that at one stage both our feet were off the bridge and it was only my hands that were stopping both of us from falling off. But at the time my only concern was to pull the man away from the edge.”
PC David surrounded by family after the award of his QGM
Finally, with the help of a fireman, the two police officers managed to manhandle the man back to safety: “By the time the man was rescued,” the citation reported, “Constable David was completely exhausted by his efforts”. So much so, he recalled, that “I had to be carried back to a car because I couldn’t walk.”
One of four children, Ryan Kenneth David was born on September 20 1947 in Mumbles, near Swansea, to Kenneth and Jean David. From Penlan Boys’ School, he trained at Hendon Police College and joined the Metropolitan Police in 1968.
David loved being a local bobby and never craved advancement. Mainly based at Hornsey, he remained a police constable until his retirement in 1992.
After his death, one former colleague wrote that although he was “not always a supervisor’s dream, those of us who worked with Ryan will remember him as a proud rugby-playing Welshman, an old-school copper with a certain ‘practical’ approach to uniform policing, a natural instinct for detecting crime, and an unwavering loyalty to fellow officers.”
After his retirement, David worked in the security industry and was involved in many charities and voluntary organisations, including Help for Heroes and Cheshunt Rugby Club, where he served as a referee. Later he returned to live in South Wales.
David’s marriage to Julia Rose was dissolved. He is survived by two daughters and a son.
​PC Ryan David, born September 20 1947, died May 29 2026