Stockport officer praised for helping vulnerable woman on bridge

A Stockport response officer has been praised for the ‘calm and composed’ way she dealt with a vulnerable woman.  

PC Rebekah Marsden attended the incident at 9pm near junction one of the M60 in December 2023 when the woman was on the wrong side of the motorway bridge.  

She worked with other emergency services and GMP officers, spending almost three hours on the bridge until the woman was brought down safely. 

PC Marsden said: “When I arrived, there were already officers at the scene, but the female would not engage with them. 

“It was a difficult situation because I'd never dealt with anything like this before and I didn't know if I was going to say the right thing, but I felt like I had to do something.  

“I kept a distance to give the woman some space and asked her why she was there.  

“She slowly started to engage but got upset - I was scared for her, but remembered it wasn't about me and how I felt.  

“A female paramedic came to help and we worked together to get her on the right side of the bridge. I then helped her down and into the back of an ambulance.” 

Chief Inspector John Picton praised PC Marsden’s actions, saying: “She found herself in a challenging and potentially dangerous situation, but she remained calm and composed.  

“Stockport police officers provide an outstanding service to our community, responding to incidents 24 hours a day, frequently facing challenging and dangerous situations.

“I am extremely proud of our team, the professionalism, dedication and resilience they show shift-by-shift, day-by-day.  

“They play a significant role in making Stockport a fantastic, safe place to live, work and socialise.”