A POLICE officer saved a woman's life last night by jumping from the quayside in Douglas to rescue her.

PC David Schumacher entered the icy cold water in South Quay after the 38-year-old woman was unable to keep her head above the water.

Both he and the woman were taken to Noble's Hospital suffering the effects of hypothermia.

This wasn't the first time the policeman had carried out a daring water rescue - he received a Chief Constable’s commendation earlier this year for rescuing a person in difficulty off Douglas beach in September 2009.

Sergeant Andy Kneen said: "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."

At 10.05pm several 999 calls were made after reports of the woman screaming for help from the water in the area of the derelict Solway Harvester.

Several police officers attended and found the 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.

The area was in complete darkness.

Despite clinging to the rope, she was half in the water and it was apparent that she had already been completely submerged.

Officers threw the woman a life preserver ring. The woman placed this around her body which by this stage was fully in the water.

The coastguard was summoned and the police officers monitored the woman and kept her talking in an effort to keep her calm.

She 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 she was unable to keep her head above the surface of the water.

At that point PC Schumacher 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 them entered the water, wearing emersion suits, and carrying rescue lines.

Inspector Mark Britton said: "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 effect 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 40 yards away.

"PC Schumacher swam that distance through the seaweed and debris. He was taken immediately to hospital suffering the effects of hypothermia and he was discharged a short while later.

"The Coastguard continued with the rescue bringing the female to shore, into an ambulance and to hospital, and she was also feeling the effects of hypothermia."

Sgt Kneen added: "I would like to thank those members of the public who responded to this lady's calls for help and made calls to the Emergency Services' Joint Control Room 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. Enquiries are continuing into exactly how this lady came to be in the water, but no crime is suspected."