Three West Midlands police officers have received one of policing’s highest international honours for tackling armed bank raiders.

Pcs Kate Peplow, Catherine Morgan and Diana Shaw picked up the Medal of Valour award from the International Association for Women in Policing’s annual conference in Kentucky, America – pipping global competition.

The reward follows an armed robbery at a bank in Handsworth, Birmingham, on January 12, 2010, which began with the theft of a JCB used for digging graves at Handsworth Cemetery.

The offenders, some armed with guns, threatened three bank staff who were forced to hand over a large quantity of cash before a passing police car disturbed them and they ran off. Pcs Peplow, Morgan and Shaw heard over their radios that an armed robbery was in progress and made their way to the scene.

Both Pc Shaw and Pc Peplow had guns pointed at them. In the latter case Pc Peplow used her arm to deflect a sawn-off shotgun from her head before the offenders then ran-off towards a cul-de-sac.

Despite the shock and clear danger, they were able to give clear directions via their personal radios, ensuring other police officers got to the street where the men were last seen.

All three officers then remained at the location in sub-zero temperatures to help recover a large sum of money and a gun.

Pc Shaw said: “We had to act. We had to protect the public – it’s what we joined the police service for. Any officer would have done the same.” It brings the officers’ award tally to three after winning both the association’s regional and national titles earlier this year.