Sir, As an operational police commander, I have made difficult decisions about rescuing people (report, June 19). One incident that lives with me today is when a young lad got into difficulty in a cold, swiftly flowing, deep river and disappeared. His brother and members of the public had already entered the water to attempt a rescue. A qualified diver also entered the water to search for the lad. The Fire and Rescue commander and myself ordered them out of the river and would not allow police officers or firefighters to enter the water; it was simply too dangerous. As the diver was coming out of the river, he found the lad: he had drowned. But then the diver suffered a heart attack and three other rescuers had to go to hospital suffering from hypothermia.
Lord Young of Graffham makes it all sound so simple. Does he expect emergency services personnel just to dive in in all circumstances heedless of the possible consequences?
Rob Palmer
Barnstaple, Devon