EXCLUSIVE: Police called to deal with at least one mental health crisis on a bridge each week
PCs are sharing their stories as part of our People Care campaign
Last updated 16th Jan 2019
Police officers, who risk their own lives to rescue people in danger of dying as a result of suicide, have told Hits Radio how terrifying that part of their job can be.
It comes after we revealed there has been a huge rise in the number of suicides and attempted suicides on bridges in Greater Manchester in the last four years.
Now, PC Dan Halliwell, who works for Cheshire Police, is opening up about the time he managed to talk a man to safety after finding him on a bridge over a motorway:
"Once you've gone to a number of those incidents, you go into police mode. You go there to ensure their safety.
"It's difficult because you don't know the person. You have to build a rapport and build a level of respect. Getting them to engage with you is crucial. You go in there with the best of intentions that you are going to have a difference on them.
"For them, they're literally on that edge of ending their life. You go with your human instinct of starting up a coversation. Techncally their life is in your hands at that point. Obviously, you're a police officer and a lot of people see the uniform instead of you as a person so their life is in your hands and what you say or don't say or do or don't do could ultimately impact their actions.
Dan has dealt with a number of concern for welfare callouts in his time as an officer with the Cheshire force.
He said it can be a tense and stressful moment for any officer:
"It's difficult. In the instance I had he was stood a couple of inches from the edge. We chose to get hands on and pull him to safety, which carries a huge risk because while you may have the best intentions, you may accidentally push someone off. It's a really thin line as to what you do. For the first few minutes you don't breathe and that's where you've got to be careful."
One of the men Dan managed to save actually approached him in the street around a year after the incident:
"This particular young man had three kids and a wife, he didn't live too far away from me. He was a reallt nice guy, obviously had issues, as most people have. Sometimes you just connect with people but as a police officer it can be difficult to get to that point where you know you've got through to somebody.
"It took me by surprise when I was in Chester and he approached me. He shook me by the hand and told his friend I'd saved his life. as a PC you tend to get toughened to that. It was a really emotional moment, it put a lump in my throat. It was the most significant, proudest moment of my career.
"For me, personally, his three kids have still got their dad and that's what stood out massively for me. That's what's so difficult that kids can be left without someone like their dad and all they've got is a memory or a photograph."