BRAVE POLICE OFFICER HELPS SAVE LIFE OF MAN WHO THREATENED HIM
A police officer who had been threatened with a broken bottle near Richmond bravely leapt into the River Thames to help save the man amid fears he would drown, it was confirmed today.
Emergency services including the RNLI Teddington lifeboat raced to the scene to offer support to the police.
The river drama was witness by hundreds of people enjoying Saturday afternoon on the riverside.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “On Saturday 27 July at 15:16hrs, Met officers were alerted to a man who had entered the river in Richmond after suffering from mental ill health.
“The man had been threatening officers with a broken bottle and was refusing to come out of the water.
“He was then swept into the lock by the current, prompting a police officer to enter the water to rescue him.
“After the man was rescued from the water, he was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act for his own protection and taken to a place of safety.”
The officer was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. He has since been discharged.
See dramatic video here:
https://x.com/i/status/1817230539532685468