Officers commended for exceptional bravery after helping to save woman’s life in Bassetlaw

Heroic response and neighbourhood officers helped save a woman’s life following concerns for her safety in Bassetlaw.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The three response and two neighbourhood officers swiftly responded to reports of a potentially life-threatening incident in the north of the county.

Arriving within minutes the officers found the woman on a bridge forming part of the A1 and immediately teamed up in an effort to get her to engage with them and persuade her to come across onto the opposite side of the railings to safety.

Using past experiences and training, the five officers sprang into action with one of them managing to flag down a nearby single-decker bus for help.

Officers have been commended after helping to save a woman's life on a bridge on the A1.Officers have been commended after helping to save a woman's life on a bridge on the A1.
Officers have been commended after helping to save a woman's life on a bridge on the A1.

As things continued to deteriorate all four officers on top of the bridge had to act within a split second to reach out and grab the woman’s arms and wrists to stop her from falling, placing their own safety at risk.

They then had to hold on until other officers arrived to help pull her back to safety, while making sure that the woman, nor the officers were going to slip.

Response officer PC Glen Bradshaw, who was one of the first officers on the scene, said: “We knew as soon as we received the call that we would have to act quickly and use all our training and experience to bring this woman to safety.

“Thankfully I was able to flag down a bus that was travelling along the road and ask the driver for some assistance.

“You have to think so quickly in these cases and with the help of my colleagues on top of the bridge, I was able to get the bus positioned underneath as a precaution.

“Being a response cop and attending incidents like this is all about teamwork, making sure my colleagues are safe and most importantly the public are too.

“Protecting vulnerable people is a priority for the force and part of our job.”

Thankfully due to all five officers’ brave actions the woman was pulled to safety and later detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital.

The immense courage and skills of the response and neighbourhood teams, on that night in May, are being highlighted by the force as it marks the start of national ‘response policing week of action’.

Inspector Hayley Crawford, District Commander for Bassetlaw, said: “Thanks to the courageous work of these officers and the professionalism they showed a woman’s life was saved that evening.

“I am immensely proud of all the officers for their actions during this incident and really pleased to say that some are part of my neighbourhood policing team who supported their response colleagues to save a life.

“Response officers are so important to the force they are often the first officers on the scene of an incident and the first person a victim sees in a time when they need it most.

“For members of the public, the response officers are the visible face of the force and are quickly on scene minutes after what can sometimes be life-changing events.

“Our teams go above and beyond, and this incident is a perfect example of that and how much they care about the public and the role they play to protect the communities and people of Nottinghamshire.”

Superintendent Kevin Broadhead, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I have no doubt the actions of these five officers saved this woman’s life.

“They showed a tremendous amount of bravery, put themselves at risk and worked together as a team.

“They should be very proud of themselves and I would like to personally commend them for their bravery and professionalism in dealing with this incident.”

For anyone looking for support with their mental health is urged to speak to their doctor, call Samaritans free on 116 123 or email them at [email protected] or call the NHS on 111.