Saving a suicidal man's life on the A610 inspired Sam to become a special constable

A volunteer police officer has explained how helping save the life of a suicidal man on a busy road near Eastwood inspired him to do more to serve the public.
Helping save a suicidal man's life inspired Sam Smith to become a special constable. Photo: Nottinghamshire PoliceHelping save a suicidal man's life inspired Sam Smith to become a special constable. Photo: Nottinghamshire Police
Helping save a suicidal man's life inspired Sam Smith to become a special constable. Photo: Nottinghamshire Police

Special constable Samuel Smith is a former doorman who 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.

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“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.”

For his actions that night Sam was given a commendation by Nottinghamshire Police – an award that got him thinking about a future career in policing.

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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.

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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, visit nottinghamshire.police.uk/specials.

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