Hero PC to get award for harbour rescue in city

A POLICE officer has described the moment he jumped into Sutton Harbour at night to rescue a man struggling in the water.

- SHANNON BROWN

> PC Mark Shaw jumped into Sutton Harbour to rescue a struggling man Devon and Cornwall Police

(Devon and Cornwall Police)

On a freezing November night, PC Mark Shaw dived into the water after a drunk man who was struggling to stay afloat.

At around 2am on November 12, 2024, PC Shaw and a colleague were called to the quayside where they were told a man was in difficulty in the freezing water.

PC Shaw recalled: “It was so dark and black, but I could see there was a man lying on his back trying to keep himself afloat, and another person who was trying to help him.”

The two officers stood on the harbour wall and threw in a life rope, shouting at the man to grab it but he is thought to have been intoxicated and disorientated and not paying attention to instructions, Devon and Cornwall Police Federation said.