FOUR Cheshire police officers who risked their own lives to save a drunk man from jumping onto a motorway have been nominated for bravery awards.
PC Chris Francis, PC Derek Morgan, PC Jake Connolly and Sgt Mark Woollam have been nominated to win an award at the 23rd Police Bravery Awards in London on 12 July.
(Top left to right) PC Jake Connolly and PC Chris Francis. (Bottom left to right) PC Derek Morgan and Sgt Mark Woollam
The awards are held by the Police Federation of England and Wales to honour and recognise police officers who performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty, and are sponsored by Police Mutual.
The officers were called by a drunk and emotional man who was on the wrong side of the railings directly over the M53.
The road was immediately closed, but the man would not speak with the police.
Sgt Woollam grabbed hold of the man to stop him from falling, while PC Morgan supported him while they waited for the fire service.
The man was slipping off the ledge and hanging from the bridge, so PCs Francis and Connolly grabbed him. He continued slipping – at one point both his feet and back were hanging over the motorway, with officers supporting his body weight.
Running out of time, PC Francis and Sgt Woollam removed their body armour to lean further over the railings and get a better grip, before they wrestled the man over the railings to safety.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here