Brave cops dive into canal to save woman from drowning in rescue drama near Barnsley

Two brave South Yorkshire cops dived into a canal in their boots to save a woman from drowning.

The pair took off their body armour and jumped into the cold water after searching for the woman, who had been described as suicidal, and whose father had already gone in after her.

PC Ben Child and PC Adam Morton were sent to the scene in the middle of the night after South Yorkshire Police received a 999 call from a man saying his daughter was suicidal and had gone into a canal in Barnsley.

He was wading out to save her, but as he started to give an area description his phone cut out.

Both officers arrived on the scene in the middle of the night and initially couldn’t find the pair, but then they heard the man’s shouts for help. They found both of them in the canal, where the man was struggling but managing to hold his daughter’s head above water.

PC Morton recalled: “We couldn’t tell if she was conscious or breathing, so Ben and I just looked at each other and nodded, and then we took our body armour off and jumped in.”

The officers said they still had their boots on, which made swimming hard, as the water was much deeper than they had realised and clogged up with reeds.

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PC Morton added: “We struggled to get across, so we had to float across on top of the reeds. The woman had got tangled up in them, and if we’d tried to swim through it we would have got tangled up as well.”

The incident happened on August 28, 2023. Eventually the pair reached the father and daughter, who was unconscious, and got them out of the water and onto the bank. They were unable to climb further up, however, as it was full of brambles and thorns. Thankfully, the woman began breathing on her own and the officers provided first aid.

Ferried to an ambulance

The officers called for an ambulance and fire engine, which didn’t arrive for half an hour. In the meantime, the officers concentrated on keeping the father and daughter warm and offering them reassurance. When firefighters arrived, they used an inflatable life raft to ferry all four of them across the canal and to the ambulance.

Once there, the officers were checked over by a paramedic.

PC Child recalled: “It was pretty cold by then. Adrenaline had kicked in so I didn’t realise how soaking and freezing I was.”

The father and daughter were taken to hospital to be treated and the daughter was given mental health support. The father later contacted the officers and the other emergency service teams to thank them for their actions.

Both have now won a South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Award.

PC Morton said he felt “privileged and honoured” to be nominated for a bravery award. He said: “It puts it into perspective, when you reflect on it. But if PC Child hadn’t been there as well, it could have been a different outcome. He did a really good job. He was making sure the woman was OK while I was keeping her warm, and he passed communications back to our colleagues on the other side of the canal.”

PC Child said: “I was surprised to receive the nomination, but I was happy as I really didn’t expect it. After all, colleagues across South Yorkshire Police do amazing things every day.”

‘Life saving heroes’

South Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Steve Kent said: “What life saving heroes. This incident once again shows how police officers are much more than crime fighters.

“The quick thinking and selfless actions of Ben and Adam saved this young woman’s life and possibly that of her father as well, who had already been in the water for a considerable time and was unable to get his daughter to safety.

“The officers’ decision to place themselves at such risk to save the lives of members of the public is testament to their selflessness, bravery and professionalism.”

PC Child and PC Morton will attend the South Yorkshire Police Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday May 23.