Officers presented with awards for saving woman's life

Two Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers have been handed special awards for saving the life of a teenager.

Chief Inspector Korine Bishop and Police Sergeant Stuart Ross were presented with Royal Humane Society Awards at the Chief Constable Awards on Friday 26 May.

On Thursday 17 December 2020, at about 11.25am, the pair were sat at Town Quay during a remote call on Microsoft Teams when they witnessed a 19-year-old woman climb over a barrier and jump about 15 feet into the water below.

PS Ross instinctively took his coat off and jumped into the water to help the woman, who was struggling to swim due to the cold. There was no way for them to get out of the water so he grabbed onto a pillar while holding the woman above the water.

CI Bishop called the coastguard but they were too far away and would not have been able to make it in time. Luckily, she saw a passing boat and managed to attract their attention.

PS Ross and the woman had been in the freezing water for about seven minutes and were hypothermic when they were finally rescued by this passing boat.

Thanks to the quick thinking of both officers, all parties made a full recovery. Both officers have since visited the woman who jumped into the water and she thanked them both for saving her life.

Chief Constable Scott Chilton said: "Both officers showed true bravery and dedication to react so quickly to this distressing situation.

"To jump in the freezing water without hesitation and then withstand the elements to help this woman despite the personal risk was an incredible act of selflessness.

"I want to thank both officers for their exemplary actions."