Off-duty police officer scraps cinema trip to help talk distressed man down from Tyne Bridge

A woman who was on her way to the cinema suddenly scrapped her plans for an evening out as she saw a distressed man in need of help on the Tyne Bridge.

Lisa Robertson is a police officer, but was off duty as she drove to the cinema to catch a film with friends last week.

On her way PC Robertson drove over the Tyne Bridge where she saw a man in a state of distress.

The officer’s policing instincts immediately kicked in and she pulled over her car to spring into action.

The kind-hearted cop immediately struck up a positive rapport with the man in his 40s, keeping him talking while at the same time alerting police and calling for support.

Within 30 minutes, PC Robertson – supported by officers, partner agencies and members of the public – had helped bring the man to safety and made sure he was given the appropriate support by medical experts.

After hearing that she had sacrificed her night out to help save the man’s life, Superintendent Barrie Joisce met with Southwick-based PC Robertson on Friday to recognise her outstanding intervention – and presented her with a cinema voucher as a heartfelt gesture of thanks.

Supt Joisce said: “We are incredibly thankful and proud of PC Robertson. Without doubt, her quick and decisive actions that night helped save the man’s life.

“Her warmth and caring nature shone through as she stopped to help and she expertly seized control of what could have been a very difficult situation.

“Wanting to protect the vulnerable is in the DNA of any outstanding police officer. PC Robertson certainly showcased that in abundance and she deserves huge credit for going above and beyond in this way.

“I know she sacrificed her night out at the cinema to care for the man, offering to stay even longer to help despite not being at work and at a time when she deserved to relax and unwind.

“PC Robertson is exactly the type of person I am proud to have working alongside me in the policing family and know the public will share my gratitude to her for being a true life-saver.”

PC Robertson, who joined the Force in 2019, revealed there was never any doubt that she was going to pull over and try to help.

She said: “I just did what anyone would have done – and the most important thing is that the man was brought to safety.

“I hope he gets the help and support he needs, and thankfully everything worked out for the best. It was a team effort – from all the emergency service staff and support services who attended to the members of the public who offered to assist.

“We’re in this job to try and make a positive difference, so I’m really pleased I was able to manage that and help bring this incident to a safe conclusion.”