Trafford officer praised for helping vulnerable girl

A Trafford Neighbourhood Officer has been praised for his response to a vulnerable girl in distress.

On December 2, PC Jack Doyle attended an incident after emergency services received reports of concerns for a girl heading towards a bridge in Trafford.

Working alongside fellow officers and the other emergency service teams, he spent more than two hours engaging with her and successfully ensured she was brought to safety.

The 15-year-old girl was taken to hospital for treatment.

PC Doyle said: “Other officers were already on the scene and it was quite clear that the young person had intentions to end her life. No one could really get through to her but I kept trying to speak to her on a personal level.

“One of my colleagues mentioned she has pets and likes animals, so I started to talk about that and she began to open up more. We then started to talk about school and other things for more than two hours.

“I was just trying to take her mind off things, she was struggling so I was trying to calm her down. Thankfully, I was able to do so.”

PC Doyle only joined GMP in February this year and began working as a neighbourhood officer in Trafford in August.

Sergeant Alex Walker praised PC Doyle’s actions, saying: “Over a significant period of time, Jack talked her into a state of responsiveness and even got some good conversation out of her, making her laugh a good couple of times, and overall making her awful situation much better.

“I personally believe the way he handled that incident made everyone else’s job easier. The parents thanked us when we were relieved from hospital later in the evening.

“Jack deserves praise for the way he handled a very difficult situation with calmness and composure.

“This incident is a powerful reminder of the commitment our officers show every day to be there for people in their moments of greatest need.”