Life-saving officer nominated for national Police Bravery Award

20 June 2018

A Leicestershire Police officer who risked his life to save a man from drowning has been nominated for a Police Bravery Award.

PC Marcus Barrowcliffe is set for a day to remember at the 23rd Police Bravery Awards in London on 12 July.

The awards are held by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) to honour and recognise police officers who performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.

After following up reports of a man lying face down in a canal, PC Barrowcliffe and another officer discarded their stab vests and updated the control room when they found him.

The man was lying motionless, so they swam out to save him. The water was so deep in places they could not stand without going under and the muddy canal was littered with debris, with weeds tangling around them, pulling them down.

When they reached the unresponsive man, they turned him over and realised he was not breathing. They managed to swim back to the canal towpath with him, where they were helped by members of the public in getting him out of the water.

Once on dry land, the officers gave CPR until the ambulance service arrived. The man started to cough and splutter water he had swallowed and it was quite clear that the CPR had saved his life.

Tiff Lynch, chair of Leicestershire Police Federation, said: “PC Barrowcliffe put his own life in danger to save someone else and that shows tremendous bravery and commitment to his role as a police officer.

“In very dangerous circumstances, he was totally committed to reacting quickly and doing anything he could to pull the man from the water.

“Thankfully, his quick actions enabled him to get the man out of immediate danger and give him life-saving CPR on the edge of the canal. He thoroughly deserves his nomination and I am looking forward to accompanying him on what will be a wonderful day and ceremony in London.”

At the Police Bravery Awards evening ceremony, winners from the eight police regions will be unveiled, along with the overall winner.

Last year’s winners were PS Elliott Richardson, PC Sarah Currie and PC Michael Otterson from Northumbria Police. The trio were honoured after they managed to disarm and a mentally ill man with a history of violence who had set a trap for police officers intending to shoot them.

Some of the feats of bravery exhibited by this year’s nominees include officers who:   

• Rushed towards danger to help and protect others during the Westminster Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attacks
• Battled through a burning building to rescue the people inside
• Pushed a suicidal woman out of the path of an oncoming train with seconds to spare
• While off duty, confronted a knife-wielding murderer in a busy city street
• Prevented a suicidal man from jumping from a motorway bridge
• Disarmed a man who had pointed a double-barrelled shot gun at them

PFEW chair Calum Macleod said: “The Police Bravery Awards is one of the highlights of the year for me. It is always an honour and a privilege to highlight the extraordinary actions of these officers and to pass on the thanks of the whole police family, and members of the public, for their incredible bravery.”