Police officer commended for bravery

A POLICEMAN who rescued a drowning man and tried to save a road accident victim has been commended for his actions.

Pc Ian Grimsey, who is based in Brandon, received the Chief Constable's Commendation at a ceremony at Suffolk Constabulary Headquarters, Martlesham Heath on Wednesday.

The award from Chief Constable Ian McWhirter was awarded for Pc Grimsey's conduct during two traumatic incidents in the space of two days last June.

In the first incident Pc Grimsey, who has only been on the force for three years, was first at the scene of an accident near Beck Row in which a teenage girl had suffered critical injuries in a car crash. He rescued her from her badly damaged car, but unfortunately was unable to save the girl, who died at the scene.

Just two days later a man was struggling to stay afloat in the River Lark when Pc Grimsey waded into the river and pulled him to safety.

"I only did what anybody else would have done under the circumstances, and I have to say it was a team effort, I feel quite humbled in a way, I couldn't have done anything without the support of my colleagues, and they deserve to be recognised too."

This is not the first time Pc Grimsey has been honoured as he was awarded Suffolk Police's Western Area Merit Award in 2002 for rescuing a woman who had fallen into a river in similar circumstances.

Pc Grimsey, 38, spent 16 years in the army before joining the force, and served on peace keeping forces in the Balkans and toured in Northern Ireland, which, he said, had provided him with a good grounding for dealing with tense situations.

"In those situations you don't really have time to stop and think, you do what you have been trained to do, you get on and do your job," he said.

"Obviously I wish the girl had survived and I would be lying if I said it wasn't upsetting, particularly when you think about her family, but there was nothing more I could have done."