Do We Have The Bravest Officers In The UK?
Our region’s police officers will have their bravery recognised tonight at a national awards ceremony in London.
Two officers from Cleveland Police, PC Stewart Shepherd and PC Haris Imaan, were nominated after pulling a drowning woman out of the sea in Redcar last year.
The woman was out of her depth around 15 metres from the shore, so the officers needed to act quickly.
PC Shepherd removed his armour and swam towards the woman, who was drifting further out to sea and PC Imaan pulled them both back using a rescue rope.
The officers also had to control members of the public who wanted to help and could have put themselves in danger also.
Deputy Secretary for Cleveland Police Federation, Richie Murray said:
“The brave officers believed their duty to the public and the immediate risk to the woman outweighed any personal danger to themselves.
They took into consideration the fast-moving sea and the time it would take for a person to drown, as well as their own training and skill. Their decision undoubtedly saved the woman’s life.”
Also speaking on the incident, Deputy Chief Constable, Ian Spittal said:
“Both officers demonstrated all that is special about the role of constable and the true commitment all our officers give to protecting the community from harm.
It is clear to me that without their immediate actions the outcome could have been tragic.”
They’ll be attending the Police Bravery Awards at The Dorchester Hotel tonight in London, which highlights the work of officers from across England and Wales.