Two Merseyside Police officers have been nominated for bravery awards after risking their own safety to stop a woman who threatened to jump off a roof.
The Merseyside Police Federation said the incident in May 2019, happened as officers responded to reports of youths causing a disturbance at a dilapidated old building in Liverpool.
PCs Liz Cargill and Mark Wilson, from Speke division, arrived to find two young women and a man on the roof of the four-storey high building.
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The officers found one of the women sat on the edge of the roof with her feet dangling over the side was was said to be "hysterical".
She was threatening to throw herself from the top of the rickety building.
The building had recently been damaged in a fire and despite the dilapidated condition, the officers traversed the exposed two-foot-wide beams and roof joints just to get to the woman.
As the woman became increasingly agitated, the two officers feared she was about to throw herself off the high rooftop.
They continued to edge closer to the woman and kept talking to her to try and keep her calm before deciding to grab her in an attempt to haul her to safety.
Rather than accepting the officers’ help, the woman started to struggle, putting them at risk of all falling to their deaths, said the police federation.
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Despite efforts to calm the woman, she continued to burst into aggressive episodes making her rescue "extremely perilous".
With the help of the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, the two officers managed to get the woman under control and get her safely down from the damaged roof.
She was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
Merseyside Police Federation Chairman Tony Fairclough said the officers went “above and beyond” to get the woman to safety.
He said: “Despite the hazardous and dangerous conditions in which Liz and Mark were operating, and the sadly hysterical nature of the woman, the officers managed to remain calm and professional throughout.
“What an incredibly brave thing to do – the duo had a lot to contend with to save this lady’s life and safeguard this vulnerable woman in what was obviously a significant time of crisis in her life.
"Liz and Mark also had to protect themselves from the obvious danger which they managed to do with policing brilliance.
“It once again shows how police officers do much more than fight crime. We are extremely proud of them.”
The 25th National Police Bravery Awards had originally been scheduled to take place last summer but had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus.
The Awards, which honour officers from across England and Wales who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty, are now being held on October 12.
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