Police specials praised for saving unconscious man from River Nene

The incident in Warmington unfolded at 7.40pm on Thursday, July 30, when Northamptonshire Police received a call from someone concerned for the welfare of a man.

Officers worked alongside colleagues from Northampton Search & Rescue, as well as the National Police Air Service (NPAS), to locate the man, who was found in the River Nene, opposite Elton Quarry, just after 11.20pm, when his rucksack was found next to the river by a member of the public.

The officers on the scene were SC Lorna Montecalvo, SC Pete Isom and SC Sophie Hyde, who incidentally, was on her very first shift.

Tactical Flight Officer Ian Worthington, from the NPAS, said: “I cannot praise the actions of these three officers enough. As a crew, we were astounded by their bravery.

“SC Montecalvo choosing to swim out to save this man was an outstanding, courageous and selfless act.

“Bravery can be defined as ‘knowing the risk but doing it anyway’. Lorna put herself at risk – in the highest traditions of the police service.

“It is quite clear that this man’s life was saved by the officers’ actions.”

SC Hyde was the person who spotted the man in the water and following her positive identification, SC Montecalvo entered the river, illuminated only by a torch, held by SC Hyde who was standing next to the river.

SC Montecalvo managed to swim out, towing the unconscious man to the bank with help of SC Isom, who by this point was also up to his neck in water.

Together, and alongside a member of the public who also helped, they managed to get the man out of the water and to a place of safety.

Neil Balderson, incident commander at Northamptonshire Search & Rescue, said: “Our team were amazed at the bravery of these three officers, and it cannot be downplayed how they saved a life that night.

“We were really glad to play a small part in such a fantastic outcome.”

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said: “The bravery of these three special constables cannot be overstated.

“SC Montecalvo swam out to save this man, SC Isom was up to his neck in water helping to get the man to safety, and SC Hyde was on her very first shift, positively identifying where this man was and providing excellent radio communications throughout the incident.

“I would like to thank them all for their bravery throughout this incident. They represent the very best of policing, they saved this man’s life, and we are extremely lucky to have them at Northamptonshire Police.

“I would also like to thank the member of the public who assisted them at the scene. You were part of an exceptional emergency services response.”