Saving suicidal man's life inspired ex-doorman to become special constable working in Mansfield

Special Constable Samuel Smith spent the new year on night shifts in Mansfield town centre, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The former doorman works as an engineer by day, but chose to volunteer as a police officer after a chance encounter with a suicidal man on a road bridge in 2018.

He said: “I was driving on the A610 when I spotted this guy on the wrong side of the bridge.

“I could see things weren’t right and was worried he was going to jump. I used my car to block off the lane directly underneath him and helped divert traffic.

“Another guy and I then went up to try to talk to him.

“I could see he was having a tough time, so I just started talking to him. I managed to build up a bit of a rapport with him and managed to get him to step away.

“When he did, I grabbed him and pulled him back over the bridge.”

Commendation

Sam was given a commendation by Nottinghamshire Police, which got him thinking about a career in policing.

He said: “I thought if I could make that kind of difference to somebody as a member of the public, what could I achieve as a police officer?

“Joining as a special is a way for me to see how a career in policing suits me, at the same time as helping the public.

“I have some experience of conflict management as a doorman and football steward and look forward to learning more.”

Special Constables are volunteer officers with the same power of arrest as career police officers.

They receive the same introductory training as all recruits, but are not paid for the shifts they work.

Inspector Nick Butler, Nottinghamshire Police’s Mansfield district commander, said: “Being a front-line officer can be extremely challenging.

“You can be put in some challenging situations and also know you run the risk of being hurt, so I am full of admiration for people like Sam who volunteer to work with us and help keep the public safe.”

For more information about becoming a special constable, see nottinghamshire.police.uk/specials

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