Newsbeat Daily
THE bravery of two police officers from Coventry LPU has been honoured after they saved the life of a suicidal man.
Sergeant Jason Newell (Right) and PC Kurt Pfadenhauer. Photo courtesy of The Coventry Telegraph
In May this year, Binley and Willenhall neighbourhood officers Sergeant Jason Newell and PC Kurt Pfadenhauer risked their own safety to save a man attempting to take his life on a busy railway line.
The man’s girlfriend rang police shortly before 7pm to report that the 27 year-old man had climbed a fence and entered the railway line and was refusing to listen to her pleas to move to safety.
When Sgt Newell and PC Pfadenhauer arrived colleagues were already at the scene and were trying to negotiate with the man, but these attempts were proving unsuccessful.
With the uncertainty of whether all trains had successfully received the message to stop, time became crucial and officers looked to see how they could safely get to the man.
Both officers climbed the fence and arrested the man under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital.
Sergeant Newell added: “The man clearly was not expecting us to be able to get to him from our position and to put it politely he was not pleased to see us.
“As officers we work to protect the community from harm no matter what the situation is. On this day we were able to do exactly this and hopefully our actions will be able to give this man a second chance.”
Both officers were presented with an award by LPU Chief Superintendent Andy Nicholson in recognition of their bravery in saving the man’s life.
[box_dark]Nominations wanted for ‘Police Hero of the Year’ award
Do you know a police hero? The Birmingham Mail newspaper is launching a ‘Police Hero of the Year’ award, a brand new category set up to recognise the heroic actions and bravery many officers and staff display on a daily basis.
Colleagues and members of the public are being encouraged to support the force by nominating a local officer or police community support officer (PCSO) who stands out from the crowd.
“Every week we see lots of examples where officers and PCSOs have gone ‘above and beyond’ their normal duties, often putting themselves at great risk to help protect members of the public,” said Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe. “We are delighted to be part of an award ceremony which publicly recognises some of that great work.”
To nominate your ‘Police Hero of the Year’ send a brief email (no more than 200 words) giving details to the Corporate Communications Department or email claire.roberts@trinitymirror.com using the words LOCAL HEROES as your subject line. Please include details of where the individual is based and contact numbers for you and your nominee.
Award winners will be invited to a special awards ceremony in November.
For more information about the awards please click here.
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I nominate Sergeant Jason Newell for “Police Hero of the Year award” as he is dedicated to serving the community and would not think twice about putting his life on the line should the occasion present itself. His mission is to rid our streets of the criminal element among us and is sometimes frustrated by beaurocracy. We owe it to officers such as Sgt. Newell to show our appreciation by presenting them with these awards and our sincere thanks for all they do.