Drowning death officers defended

The officers (PCSOs) arrived at the scene of the emergency in Wigan and called for further assistance from uniformed officers rather than diving into the water themselves.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thompson, of Greater Manchester Police, said by the time the PCSOs arrived, the youngster had been submerged in the large lake for some time. He said they "acted correctly" and he "fully supported" their actions.

Jordon Lyon was pulled from the water up to five minutes after the call for help was made by the PCSOs but he was later pronounced dead at hospital. His mother, Tracy, said the PCSOs involved should lose their jobs for not "automatically" going into the water to save a drowning child.

Mr Thompson said the inquest established that Jordon was probably dead by the time the PCSOs arrived. He had been under the water for some time and there was no indication where he was in the lake which was the size of a football pitch, he said. The water was black with "very poor" visibility beneath the surface.

He added: "The two PCSOs involved did not stand by and watch Jordan die. They acted correctly and I fully support the actions they took. The initial call to police gave the wrong location. This was no-one's fault, as the lake is known by several different names locally and there are other similar lakes nearby.

"The PCSOs managed to establish the correct location and immediately informed the control room to ensure the emergency services were sent there. One PCSO cycled to the road to alert other emergency services as they headed to the scene, while the other remained at the lake.

"Again it is important to stress that Jordon had not been seen for some time before their arrival. The inquest established that, tragically, at the time of the PCSOs' arrival, Jordan was probably dead.

"We do not encourage police and PCSOs to carry out this kind of underwater rescue. They are not trained in this type of rescue, which is fraught with danger.

"Everyone involved in this incident has been deeply affected and saddened by the loss of a young life. I do not believe that there are any actions GMP could have taken that would have changed this."