Response to a man threatening to commit suicide - Devon and Cornwall Police, May 2017

On 11 May 2017, police received a 999 call reporting that a man was on the Tamar Bridge (on the A38 between Devon and Cornwall) and was threatening to jump. Officers were dispatched to the bridge and found the man had climbed one of the bridge towers. Fire and ambulance crews attended and the man was secured to a rope by the Fire Service and escorted down from the tower.

The man was placed in an ambulance on the bridge roadway; however, one minute and 21 seconds later, he left the ambulance and climbed over the railings, where he remained for around 15 minutes, before jumping or falling from the bridge into the River Tamar below. He was recovered from the river by a lifeboat and taken to the water’s edge. Ambulance staff administered medical aid and he was taken to hospital, where he died the following day.

An inquest into the man’s death concluded in October 2018 with a verdict of suicide.

During the investigation, investigators interviewed two police officers and obtained written responses from other officers, paramedics and firefighters who had attended the incident. Investigators also obtained policies and procedures in relation to mental health and best practice when emergency services are required to work together to ensure the safety of a person with mental health issues.

Evidence indicated that the man gave no warning signs in the ambulance of what he was about to do. Officers said that they believed that using handcuffs to restrain the man may have further distressed him. Guidance states that officers should not restrain a person who has been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act “unless absolutely necessary”. The officers’ efforts to build a rapport with the man were judged favourably by other emergency services personnel at the scene.

Based on the evidence available we found no indication that any person serving with the police may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings.

After reviewing our report, the force agreed.