Police Community Support Officers - I know they are not real police officers, not even close, but I would have thought that being basically human and warm blooded they would have tried to help this lad in just 6ft of water.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7006412.stm
Interesting also that they were not at the Inquest, perhaps being kept away on purpose.
Well I have to say that I don’t know what I’d do in that situation. I can’t swim and so if I’d have jumped in after the poor lad, the emergency services would only have to rescue two of us. I think it’s unfair to expect someone who is untrained to deal with a situation. Some people quickly adapt and it’s not a problem but as stated PCSO’s are not fully trained police officers. In fact they’re probably more at risk because of this fact than anyone else.
I’ve always understood that as someone “rescuing” your first responsibility is to yourself because if you aren’t going to safely help, you’re no help at all.
It shouldn’t make a difference if it’s a small child, an adult who slipped or was even thrown in, or an OAP if you can’t help in a situation it’s better, not just for your sake but for the sake of all concerned, to keep the out of the way of those who know what they’re doing.
Along the same lines, why didn’t the anglers who helped save the girl jump in after the child who was out of sight? Because they weren’t trained either.
It’s the same situation in all works of life, corporate or anywhere else, responsibility without authority. Or in this case position without training on how to deal with it safely.
Waits for flame…
RK - don’t see why you should be flamed, couldn’t have put it better myself, I don’t know how I would have reacted, I can swim so probably would have tried to help but you’re quite right in saying that if you can’t actually help a situation then you have to step aside and wait, or help someone who can.
As Paul Kelly pointed out unfortunately for the PCSO’s their uniform gives the impression that they know what to do in situations like this, and therefore the public look to them for help and possibly leadership in a crisis situation, sadly it sounds like their training is inadequate to deal with these kinds of situations.
It’s always going to be a difficult one to call, and of course trying to form a reasonable opinion and therefore come to a reasonable conclusion based on facts about an incident reported by the media is always a tricky one, I have no faith in the media to report the facts about any case correctly at all! :unsure:
The first rule of First Aid is that you do not endanger your own life.
If thhese officers weren’t confident “going in” they did the right thing in my opinion.
There have been plenty of times where people lost their lives trying to save others from drowning.
One question springs to mind… where were the parents? A 10 year old and 2 younger siblings playing unsupervised near water - yes, an accident waiting to happen!
Jumping into the water to rescue someone should be the last resort - you don’t know what is under the water and you can’t help someone if you are in trouble too.
I would have jumped in cant see what the problem is 6ft of water, what would you do if that was your mate on his bike and he had an off into water cant see why everyone is being so bloody PC these days, the next thing will be written permission to enter your house when its on fire for the firebrigade plus planning.
Well, society has definitley gone PC mad but the defence I’m stating in this case is not about being PC. In this case it is wholly about safety and nothing about being blamed for doing something untrained and getting into trouble, or being sued etc.
The problem is if you attempt to save someone and don’t make sure of your own saftey first then a) You’re no good to them if your dead b) Could make the situation worse c) Also cause the emergency services greater risk in having to save you as well.
Ok so it’s 6ft of water but then, you can’t gurantee that and it may not have been common knowledge. Added to that, certainly in my case, 6ft of water is still over my head and as I can’t swim it would still be dangerous to attempt it.
Don’t get me wrong, I feel very sad that I wouldn’t be able to help. Perhaps I’d even feel like a coward and forever condemn myself if he died, knowing that I could have tried but I know that I wouldn’t have been able to help and would have put futher people at risk by trying to be a hero.
I will also add that there is geat admiration for anybody that risks their life for someone else but I’m certain that anyone in the emergencey services would rather people didn’t risk making the situation worse. Correct me if I’m wrong.
It must be such a tough call to make when you really think about it. I’m also sure that those two PCSO’s are also really hurting over this as well.
I feel for the relatives but there seems to be too much importance linked to the PCSO’s inaction. I am sure if 2 pc’s were first on scene and neither could swim there would also be the same sad outcome. Despite Paul Kelly’s comments PC’s (like PCSO’s) have a minimum of ELS training but its not a requirement to be a swimmer or any kind of lifeguard.
My understanding is that this is a complete non-story.
Police Officers, as well as Community Support Officers are trained not to attempt water rescues in deep water. This is because such rescues are inherently dangerous to the rescuer. Indeed, the boy died because he entered the water to save his sister.
At the time the offers arrived the child was already under water and out of sight. I suspect they had no idea how deep the water was, or where the child was. In those circumstances it would be reckless to enter such a large body of water. As usual, the parents are trying to blame everyone rather than looking at how the situation was allowed to develop in the first place.
BTW, the ROSPA guide to water rescues says you should never endanger yourself to make a rescue, you should never enter water without knowing its depth, and should only ever enter water you can safely wade in.
The same goes for paramedics I’ve been reliably informed. It’s always “safety first”.
