Officers praised for talking man down from Shrewsbury bridge
Two Shrewsbury police officers have been praised for their actions after ‘talking down' a man threatening to jump off a town bridge and getting him to safety.
Police Constables Chris Baldwin, who was off duty at the time, and Kevin Payne managed to gain the trust of the man, who had climbed over to the wrong side of the railings on Telford Way at about 8pm on Thursday.
He eventually agreed to come back over to safety and was taken to the police station, where he was met by family and was handed over to receive medical treatment.
Chief Inspector Dave McWilliam, from Shropshire's Command Team, praised the two officers for their efforts and said it was an example of good police work at its best.
"Neither of the two officers are formally trained as negotiators but between them they managed to gain the trust of the man, who was clearly distressed and threatening to jump," he said.
"PC Baldwin had been driving past when he saw the man climb over the railings. He stopped and dialled 999 before approaching the man, identifying himself as an off-duty police officer and engaging him in conversation.
"PC Payne was the first on duty officer to arrive a few moments later and he too began to talk to the man, also eventually gaining his trust.
"There was also a real fear that he may actually fall from the bridge even if he did not jump. However, between them they managed to convince the man to come back onto right side of the railings and to safety.
"This was an excellent example of a side of policing that not many people see. Both officers involved considered their actions to be ‘just doing their job', whether on or off duty.
"Often people see the police uniform just as a figure of enforcement but officers, whether on duty of off duty, are human beings just like anyone else and are here to help those who need it."
