A Northumbria Police cop after finishing a long shift at work found herself jumping in while walking her pet dog to help save a man’s life.
After a long shift, Chief Superintendent Janice Hutton sought to unwind on Wednesday evening by taking her pet dog a relaxing walk on the beach…but fate had other ideas when she intervened to help save a man’s life.
While walking near Spanish City in Whitley Bay at about 7.10pm on Wednesday with her canine companion Arthur, Chief Supt Hutton spotted an alarming sight out of the corner of her eye – a man struggling in the sea.
After a closer look and confirmation from a by-stander, she called her colleagues on 999 requesting help.
And with no time to lose she waded in after him to attempt to bring him to safety.
The man was in a confused state and struggling against the tide, following her lead, members of the public raced to assist and together they brought the man to safety.
Chief Sup Hutton and members of the public advised by a nurse who had been walking by, put him into the recovery position and waited for her on-duty team mates to arrive.
The man was checked over by an ambulance crew at the scene who confirmed he had not suffered any serious injuries. However, he was transferred to hospital as a precaution and to receive any further care required.
Chief Sup Hutton said: “Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore my dog Arthur, but in this situation there was no time to lose and he didn’t get so much as a backward glance as I raced towards the water.
“After 28 years in policing, training just kicks in and it’s not an option not to help a person in need.
“It wasn’t an easy rescue but thankfully a few heroic members of the public were quick to come to the rescue and together we all managed to safely get the man out of the water and away from danger.
“Thanks to all who assisted – you were incredibly brave and it’s always amazing to see how compassionate and helpful those who live in our Force area truly are.”
A sodden Chief Sup Hutton was reunited with her beloved Arthur, who had frantically watched the scene unfold but stayed put like the good boy he is trained to be.
She added: “I hope my next walk is more relaxing but I’ll never be someone to not help a person in need and I am so thankful I was there to help.”