A police officer has been nominated as the bravest member of the Essex force.
It is the first time a road policing officer had been nominated in the annual Police Bravery Awards.
PC Paul Randall, based at Chelmsford, braved freezing conditions by jumping into a river to save the life of a man who had leapt 30ft from a bridge in Great Leighs into the icy water.
The 31-year-old, of South Woodham Ferrers, was called to investigate a man lying beside the roadside in Great Leighs in February 2003.
But when he arrived, he found two paramedics struggling to deal with a violent man worse the wear for alcohol, according to a police spokesman.
The man ran to a nearby bridge and jumped into the 20ft-wide River Ter. Seeing him struggle, Paul, who has been a member of the force for ten years, leapt in.
He said: "I found it extremely difficult to breathe at first as the shock of the freezing water got to my body, but I grabbed the man."
PC Randall will find out if he has won next Thursday
Published Thursday July 1, 2004
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