'They saved my life' - Derbyshire dad thanks police team for helping him in his hour of need

Darren Cox, 39, of IIkeston, was battling with suicidal thoughts following the breakdown of his relationship and losing his job as a chef during the pandemic.

Police received a call in May 2022 that Darren was in distress and was threatening to throw himself off Trent Bridge. Officers located Darren and pulled him to safety as he began to straddle the bridge railings. He was then assessed by the police’s mental health team.

Darren has now visited Nottinghamshire Force HQ in Sherwood Lodge to thank the team with a box of chocolates and a card.

He said: “When I stood on that bridge, I did not feel anything. All I wanted to do was jump. I remember banging my head on the railings and a police officer who pulled me from the bridge and to safety.

“I remember sat in the van with an officer who calmed me down and said: ‘we will get you the help you need.’ They saved my life. I would not be here for my children if it was not for the police. They really cared for me.”

PC Jamie Severn was one of the team who attended the incident on May 5, 2022, after a family member expressed concern about Darren’s welfare.

PC Severn works for the Nottinghamshire Police’s Street Triage Team, which was formed in 2014, and works alongside a psychiatric nurse.

The team resources around 800 incidents a month; the majority of which are people at their lowest point and are threatening suicide.

PC Severn said: “Darren was in a very distressed state, at a very low point and in crisis. He needed immediate help that day otherwise there was a fear he would have taken his life. We needed to ensure Darren got the best help available in hospital.

“It is lovely that Darren has come up to Force HQ and is doing so well. We don’t always get to see the positive outcomes or know what has happened after our involvement.

“It was a team effort to ensure Darren was brought to safety that day and got the right help he needed.

“In my 28 years of policing this is the most rewarding job because in circumstances like this you can see that your efforts have made a real difference to someone’s life. “It is about helping people in their lowest moments, and it is great to see from our intervention that people get better.”

For Darren, his life has completely transformed and is now hoping to set up a charity for men suffering with mental health. He has even kept the clothes he wore that day – the red jacket and the trainers as a constant reminder of how far he has come.

“My life has changed massively,” he said. “It is important for people to know there are a lot of organisations that can help, you don’t have to suffer alone. In my hour of need the police were there and I would not be here today without them.”