Brave officers in line for award after river rescue

10 October 2021

Two brave officers seized the only opportunity they had to rescue a vulnerable man from a fast-flowing river by forcing entry to the rear of a local café.

West Mercia PCs Lee Phillips and Christopher Donovan took the drastic action knowing there were no further locations to pull the man from the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

Now the officers, who risked their lives to enter the river and rescue the man, will be honoured at the Police Bravery Awards ceremony on Tuesday.

They were nominated by West Mercia Police Federation whose chair, Sarah Cooper, said: “They used their local knowledge to pre-empt where this man would be swept to when they knew he was struggling in the river and were incredibly quick-thinking in their actions.

“Their rapid response and their bravery saved this man’s life.”

The Force had received a call in the early hours of 2 February 2019 that a man was behaving inappropriately in Shrewsbury town centre. 

PC Phillips and PC Donovan were two of several officers deployed to the incident and attempted to speak to the man involved but he suddenly ran off.

He was located close to the Gateway Centre but again ran from the officers and jumped over a fence down to the riverside. He was next seen swimming downstream.

The two PCs initially remained on land and kept sight of him while calling for support from other emergency services, but the man was struggling in the water.

Realising their last chance of saving the man was to get to the river via the café, they entered the water which was fast-flowing due to recent rainfall and pulled him out before he went under again.

The officers administered initial first aid and provided him with a foil blanket before the ambulance service arrived.

Assessments later took place at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where initial blood results showed concerning levels of oxygen depletion and signs of hypothermia.

Sarah said: “There’s no doubt that without the bravery, commitment and diligence of PC Phillips and PC Donovan this man would have remained in the freezing river and would likely have died as sadly many people have done in Shrewsbury in the past.

“These officers deserve the gratitude of the police family and public as a whole.”

The annual Police Bravery Awards, sponsored by Police Mutual, honour some of the finest officers in England and Wales who have performed incredible acts of bravery, while on or off duty. 

The ceremony was due to be held in London in July last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.

It will now be staged on Tuesday 12 October. A total of 94 brave officers from forces across England and Wales have been put forward for an award.