Life-saving officers honoured with commendations

A CONSTABLE who waded into the sea at night to save a vulnerable woman was among the heroic Essex Police officers honoured at a special ceremony this month.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh handed out commendations at Essex police headquarters in Chelmsford for officers who had gone above and beyond the line of duty.

PC David Bridge arrived at Southend seafront in the early hours of the morning in June last year after a missing woman threatened to kill herself. He spotted the woman 100 metres into the water and began wading into the sea in the darkness.

He managed to guide her back to the shore and stem bleeding from deep wounds she had inflicted on her forearm.

Other officers to receive a commendation included off-duty PCs Matthew Frohock and Stewart Heywood, who saved a man who had collapsed with a head injury during a football match in Basildon in April 2014.

The man suffered a violent fit and was semi-conscious, but PC Frohock administered first aid for 25 minutes until paramedics arrived.

PCs Lionel Bishop, Philip Lord and David Stanley were also honoured for giving emergency first aid to a suspected heart attack victim at Stansted Airport in June 2014.

PCs James Marshall and James Ruijs saved an injured and vulnerable man armed with a pair of scissors from a rooftop in Harlow in August 2014. The two officers restrained the man, who was threatening to kill himself, and gave him first aid.

Chief Constable Kavanagh said that all his officers show “extraordinary bravery and dedication in the line of duty every day”, adding that the commended officers had shown a “commitment to the public that far exceeds what is expected of them”.

He added: “The examples of bravery that we are fortunate to recognise today demonstrate all that is good about Essex police – putting the wellbeing of the public at the very forefront of their actions. I am very proud.”

Mark Smith, Chairman of Essex Police Federation, said: “These brave officers are thoroughly deserving of these commendations. These officers are showing that we do not just deal with crime.”

Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, also offered officers a “very sincere thank you” on behalf of the public.