Heroes Rush In Where Police Fear To Tread

Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger

We’ve read several times on this blog about police reluctance to help drowning victims and even to prohibit family members from leaping into the water to save their loved ones (here) when authorities refuse to help. Seems the policy is now international. Scottish police stood idly by, keeping back onlookers, as a 37 year-old woman thrashed about in the water near Glasgow’s  Albert Bridge  and repeatedly called for help.

At that moment, three Glasgow University students, Graham McGrath, Rosie Lucey and Rhys Black were walking along the River Clyde and heard the pleas for help. Eschewing official policy, McCGarth and Lucey leapt into the river and pulled out  the unidentified drowning woman. Black then waded in to the water and helped pull all three to safety. The three performed CPR until the woman was revived — all without the aid of local Strathclyde Police officers who gave more priority to crowd control.

Before the students arrived, onlookers had tried to throw floatation devices in the river, but to no avail. Moments before the rescue, the near-victim had slipped beneath the water.  The actions of the three quick-thinking students clearly saved her life.  Said McGrath, “There was a woman in the water shouting for help. There was somebody throwing lifebelts to her, but she couldn’t get to them …nobody was doing anything else  ”  Lucey added, “‘We realised we were watching someone drown.”

Particularly galling were the words of  a police spokesman who sniffed, “‘It is not the responsibility of the police to go into the water – it’s the fire and rescue service.” 

One wonders about the police officers responsibilities as human beings.

Source:  Mail Online

~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger