Police officer honoured for rescuing man from freezing Stockport river
PC Mohammed Nadeem was in the water for 25 minutes.
A police officer who rescued a man from the River Irwell in Stockport has been recognised for his bravery
PC Mohammed Nadeem, who was a student officer with the Greater Manchester force at the time, dived eight feet into the freezing river, back in February 2018.
He features on this years Civilian Gallantry list, the last to be approved by the late Queen
On Saturday 17th February 2018, police received a call of a distressed male on a bridge over the River Irwell.
The situation was particularly sensitive as the man, wanting to take his own life, was a veteran in a poor mental state.
Several officers were deployed and on arrival the man had jumped into the water and was clearly in difficulty.
PC Nadeem, on seeing the man had gone beneath the water, jumped into the River Irwell to save him.
He jumped from an 8-foot drop, wearing body armour and personal safety equipment as there wasn’t time to remove these items in case the man drowned.
The water was fast moving, deep and very cold.
The man was swimming away from the officer in the direction of an incredibly dangerous weir, as he was intent on drowning.
PC Nadeem caught up with him, grabbed him and dragged him to the side.
Both the man and PC Nadeem were suffering the effects of the freezing cold, but nevertheless, due to the difficult egress, PC Nadeem remained in the water with the man until a ladder was lowered down to assist them in getting out.