Award for police officers who saved woman’s life

The two officers found the woman lying close to death next to river

Two Pitlochry police officers who tracked down a woman on the verge of death after a suicide bid are to be honoured for saving her life.

On October 18, PCs Dennis Lundie and Matthew McNicol responded to a call that the 37-year-old woman, from Berwick, was intent on killing herself.

With only a rough location to go on, they began searching a remote area on open hilly moorland near the B847 in rural Perthshire.

They decided the most likely spot would be the river, which is where they found her curled on the bank.

They used a sleeping bag she had with her as a stretcher to get her back to their car then applied pressure to her wounds until an ambulance arrived to take her to hospital.

They have been awarded Royal Humane Society Certificates of Commendation.

As he announced the awards at the Society’s London headquarters, secretary, Andrew Chapman added his own words of praise: “It was completely dark, there were no street lights, and visibility was significantly restricted.

“The woman was lying on a steep river bank in cold, wet undergrowth, next to extremely cold water.”

He added: “She was in a bad way and had already lost a great deal of blood.

“However, they took care of her until the ambulance arrived and thankfully she went on to recover.

“The two officers did a great job and richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”

No date has yet been fixed for the presentation.

The roots of the Royal Humane Society, of which the Queen is patron and Princess Alexandra is president, 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 most eminent medical men of the day, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan, whose primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

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 number of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The society also awards nonhealthcare professionals who perform a successful resuscitation.

Since it was set up, the society, which is a registered charity and depends on voluntary donations, has considered over 87,000 cases and made more than 200,000 awards.

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.