Bravery awards for two Yorkshire police officers who put their lives on the line to save man

Two police officers who literally put their lives on the line to save a suicidal man they found lying across the railway line on the viaduct over the River Nidd at Knaresborough are to receive top national bravery honours by Royal approval.
By Roger Pearson
Published 15th Jan 2023, 05:00 BST
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PCSO Denise Booth and PC Stephanie Maslen responded to a call from the man who said he was lying on the railway tracks at the viaduct and that he wanted to die.

When they arrived at the viaduct they spotted him and, although the track was still live and they were told that trains would be approaching at high speed they went on to the line anyway and talked to him to calm and reassure him.

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Then they managed to get hold of him and get him off the viaduct before any trains arrived. Now they are to receive Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Vellum which have been personally approved and will be signed by Princess Alexandra, Secretary of the Society.

Two police officers who literally put their lives on the line to save a suicidal man they found lying across the railway line on the viaduct over the River Nidd at KnaresboroughTwo police officers who literally put their lives on the line to save a suicidal man they found lying across the railway line on the viaduct over the River Nidd at Knaresborough
Two police officers who literally put their lives on the line to save a suicidal man they found lying across the railway line on the viaduct over the River Nidd at Knaresborough

In addition to the awards they have also won the personal praise of Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society. “They risked their own lives to save the man,” he said. “What they did was incredibly brave. If they had touched the live line they could have been electrocuted and they had also been warned that there was the added danger that a high speed train could come down the line.

“Despite that they didn’t hesitate to go to his rescue and they succeeded in getting him to safety. They were true heroines and richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life. It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

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However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The Society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the Society has considered over 87,000 cases and made over 200,000 awards. The Society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.

It was one of a select number of organisations to receive a donation from the Patron’s fund which was set up to acknowledge work done by organisations of which the Queen is the patron, to mark her 90th birthday.