About 10.05pm on Sunday 3rd October 2010 several “999” calls were received at the Emergency Services Joint Control Room reporting hearing a female screaming for help from the water in the area of the Solway Harvester, South Quay, Douglas. Several Police officers attended and found a 38 year old woman was hanging by her arms from the ropes which secure the fishing boat to the quay. The tide was in at the time and the surface of the water was approximately 15 feet below the quayside road surface. It was dark and the area where the woman was, was in complete darkness. Despite clinging to the rope, she was half in the water. It was apparent that she had already been completely submerged in the water as she was completely wet. Officers threw the woman a life preserver ring. The woman placed this around her body, she was by this stage completely in the water. The coastguard were summoned, and while the officers awaited the attendance of the Coastguard rescue team, they monitored the female and kept her talking in an effort to keep her calm.(It should be noted that there are no ladders or other means in this area to easily get to the water’s surface). It quickly became apparent that the woman was becoming badly affected by the cold and she slipped away from the securing rope. Officers saw her begin to slip through the life preserver ring and saw that she was unable to maintain her head above the surface of the water. As this happened one of the officers present, Pc 269 David Schumacher, took the decision that he should enter the water. He jumped from the quayside and secured the woman with the aid of the life preserver. Other officers assisted by pulling the rope attached to the preserver towards the Solway Harvester. At this point volunteers from Douglas Coastguard arrived and two of their number entered the water, wearing emersion suits, and carrying rescue lines. Inspector Mark Britton commented “This officer took the particularly difficult and brave decision to enter the inky black icy cold waters. I admire him for the decision and when I arrived he was still in the water. We do not encourage anyone to enter the water and this officer has done this twice now to affect a rescue, to have to do so once within one’s service is rare, but to have to do it twice in such a short time is incredible. This officer put himself in harm’s way to rescue this lady and I personally salute his bravery. I would also like to pay tribute to the officers from the Coastguard Service who also entered the water at that time. Once they entered the water the rescue was far from over. In order to get her to safety the personnel from the Coastguard had to bring her to the nearest safe exit point some forty yards away. Pc Schumacher swam that distance through the seaweed and debris. He was taken immediately to hospital suffering the effects of hypothermia, he was discharged a short while later. The Coastguard continued with the rescue bringing the female to shore, into an ambulance and to hospital, she was also feeling the effects of hypothermia.” Sgt Andy Kneen would say “ I would like to thank those members of the public who responded to this lady’s calls for help, made calls to the ESJCR and located her. It was fortunate that she was found so quickly as the lady had no way of rescuing herself from her predicament. I am happy to say that after treatment at hospital the woman was released. I have spoken to her and she has thanked all that have helped her. She does not wish to be identified or speak with the press. I was present when this rescue took place and I’ve no doubt that without the efforts of PC Schumacher and his colleagues, together with the team from Douglas Coastguard this incident would have ended in tragedy. Enquiries are continuing into exactly how this lady came to be in the water, but no crime is suspected”. ENDS