Three Essex police officers who swam into the sea to rescue a woman recognised with Federation Bravery Award

12 May 2023

Three police officers who swam out into the sea to rescue a woman on a cold January night have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

At 11pm on Saturday 15 January 2022, officers were called to the beach at Clacton after being alerted by the ambulance service that a woman had walked into the sea and was under the water.

Every available officer in Clacton attended and started to search the shoreline. The point of entry was identified and, as the current was headed towards Clacton Pier, officers searched that area. They heard a voice shouting “Help” and located the woman clinging to one of the legs of the pier, about 30 metre from shore, struggling to stay above water. This area is known to local officers; there have been several fatalities due to the strong currents and riptides.

RNLI had been contacted but were not on scene.

Officers knew that the woman had been in the water for over 10 minutes and was unable to swim back to the shore, so they realised it was a life or death situation.

Despite the cold and challenging conditions, Sgt Andrew Hynes made the decision to shed his equipment and enter the sea. The temperature was estimated to be between 3℃ and 7℃. Sgt Hynes ran out as far as he could and then, once the water became too deep, he swam to the woman. He went under the water several times due to the currents but managed to fight his way to the woman.

Sgt Hynes said: “As I was walking towards the pier you could just hear, ‘Help me, help me’. At which point I say… I either said it over the radio or someone said it over the radio, and I sprinted down towards the pier.

“Once I saw her, I just sort of took my jacket off, handed my personal belongings over to a colleague, and ran in and swam out to her.

“I used to swim a lot when I was younger, so I felt I was a strong swimmer. Just instinct took over. I’m a police officer, she needs help, I need to help her. That’s what took over.”

“The silly thing is, I didn’t take my stab vest off, or my boots off.”

PC Zoe Bowers and a colleague also entered the water, following Sgt Hynes. They ran until the water was too deep and then swam to assist in the rescue.

PC Bowers said: “It was cold and it was all hands on deck. Obviously the sea’s dangerous. It’s not something that we’re not accustomed to, so it’s just everyone piled down there and looking for this woman that had gone into the sea.

“I saw Sergeant Hynes going in and I thought… she was like a dot in the distance, I was like, ‘He’s going to be so knackered’. So I didn’t even really thing about it, I just dropped my kit and went in. I remember the water getting to my waist and thinking, ‘Oh my God, what have I done? This is so cold. This is not what I was thinking of’. I was like, ‘Right, I’m in now’. I really had no choice. I had my watch on, where’s my phone. I was like, ‘Doesn’t matter. Let’s crack on’.”

The officers pulled the woman, who was in and out of consciousness, into the shore and then carried her up the beach to a waiting ambulance.

Following medical treatment, the woman was admitted to a mental health clinic.

The officers who had entered the water returned to Clacton Police Station, changed their clothes and continued with their night duty.

PC Bowers added: “It’s amazing to be recognised for this Award. You never expect to be put up for awards for just doing your job, and I really appreciate it because… Our job is hard. It’s hard every day. Just a little bit, even when I get a thank you email, I’m like, ‘That’s so nice’. So this is just above and beyond. It’s nice to be recognised for the good stuff we do.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said: “This was an outstanding piece of teamwork – these brave officers took decisive action to swim out into the sea on a cold January night. Without their heroic actions, the woman would have struggled to survive.

“Once again this incident shows how police officers are much more than crime fighters. We are life savers. We are very proud of our courageous colleagues for their work.”

The officers will attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday 18 May.

At the event a winner will be announced who will travel to London for the National Police Federation Bravery Awards in July.

The lead sponsor for the Awards is The Northern Police Healthcare Scheme.

Also sponsoring the Awards are Rates Group, No 1 Copperpot Credit Union, Metfriendly, Slater Gordon, Flint House Police Rehabilitation, Uniform Mortgages, THB Legal, George Burrows, Arc Legal and Police Mutual.

The hashtag for the event is #EssexFedBravery.