“I cannot put into words how thankful I am that the officers were there that day for my son - I want them to know just how much they are appreciated.” These are the words of a grateful father after response police officers helped to save his son’s life. In summer last year, officers received a call from a concerned member of the public who believed they had seen someone attempt to take their own life. Inspector Adam Norris, Sergeant Sarah Thompson and PCs Scott Dobinson and Mark English attended on an immediate response and managed to locate the man. He had suffered catastrophic injuries. He was conscious but in a critical condition. The team of officers took it in turns giving CPR to the man whilst they waited for medical experts to arrive. Colleagues from the Great North Air Ambulance Service soon arrived on scene and provided life-saving care while the officers moved to cordon off the area to keep members of the public away from the scene. The man was then taken to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he was rushed to theatre for emergency surgery. Meanwhile, PC Simon Laws carried out the difficult duty of informing his parents of the incident and transported them to the hospital on blue lights. The man underwent numerous rounds of surgery after suffering multiple injuries. However, after seven months, has now been released to continue his recovery at home. He is now concentrating on being able to walk again with the help of exercise, physio and a Zimmer frame and has plans to complete a marathon in the next few years with his Dad to raise awareness around men’s mental health. The man and his family were invited to meet the team who helped to save his life at Durham Constabulary HQ on Saturday (August 19). His father, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I cannot put into words how thankful I am that the officers were there that day for my son, they held his hand when he needed strength and acted with such dignity when delivering the news to me and my wife. “People don’t often see that side to policing and fail to recognise that there’s a human behind the badge, I want them to know just how much they are appreciated. “It has been amazing to meet the officers and for us as a family to finally get some closure.” Do you need to speak to someone? Call The Samaritans on 116 123 any time, day or night.

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