Failure to save dying boy prompts call to scrap ‘community’ police

Failure to save dying boy prompts call to scrap ‘community’ police - : "Greater Manchester’s Assistant Chief Constable, Dave Thompson, said that he fully supported the actions of the PCSOs, and added: “The lake is about the size of a football pitch, at a former quarry. The water is black with poor visibility. While shallow at the edge, after a few feet it becomes very deep, very quickly.”"

You can understand the outrage. He was so little, so cute , so brave. Three adults had done the best they could but they needed more help. The community support officers didn't have the training to rescue anyone and we are the same here. We ask people not to put themselves at risk to save others. You would expect, however, that community support officers would have some very particular skills. I wouldn't have jumped into the water under those conditions. If I did it to try and save the boy then I probably wouldn't be helping because I'd be really struggling. Others could go in the water and do a good job of helping. People who are in rescue jobs need swimming skills, a level of fitness, fire fighting skills, child birth skills, anger management strategies, mediation strategies. You could list off the skills they need to have. A drowning person needs someone who is skilled at water rescue.My sister had lessons in that at school in England but perhaps they do not do that anymore. Here, most people swim well and confidently because they have had lessons at school. It's critical. Then a lot of people here do surf life saving. It's about skilling people up. It is so very sad about that little boy but the community officers may not have been able to swim or to swim well. The reasons need to be clear because as it stands they may not be forgiven. It depends who they employ to do the job and then they need to look at the training...which will not help little Jordan, so people are going to be angry.