A Market Drayton policeman has relived the night he saved a man from throwing himself off a steep town centre embankment.
PC Paul Frank was called into action in the early hours of January 24 when the man threatened to commit suicide near St Mary’s Church.
The 39-year-old Market Drayton Rural North local policing officer responded by going after him when he jumped off the 40-foot embankment.
PC Frank is to receive a Divisional Commendation in January for showing “bravery, commitment and professionalism beyond the call of duty.”
He said: “It was three o’clock in the morning and we got a grade one immediate response call concerning a man who sounded very upset, saying he couldn’t cope anymore and was going to take his own life.
“Church bells were heard in the background and the man said he could see water, so I pinned it down to two possible locations.
“We were going to St Peter’s, Stoke-on-Tern but we thought ‘let’s go to St Mary’s’ and when we got there, I could see out of the corner of my eye a man balanced on the edge of a mound by the church.”
PC Frank, whose wife is expecting their first child next month, tried to persuade the man not to harm himself before he jumped towards the road below.
“Without thinking, I went straight over after him and managed to catch him before he went over the ledge,” he said.
“There was a 20-foot drop from the ledge onto the road but I was able to grab hold of it and keep hold of him.
“It was very cold, very wet and very windy but the fire service rescued us and when I got back to the station, the sergeant said ‘get yourself off home because you’re covered in mud.’”
The man suffered only minor injuries and PC Frank said he would do the same thing again in a similar situation.
“I’ve had some teasing at the station and Superman stickers put on my tray but it’s the same for everybody put in that position,” he said. “I was in the right place at the right time – with a bit of local knowledge – and no one was seriously hurt.”
Market Drayton Police sergeant Tony Merrick said: “It’s in the best traditions of the police service that Paul put his life at risk and the commendation is certainly well-deserved.”
By Winston Brown
