A woman who had been reported missing has been pulled from the Irwell after police spotted her in distress.
On Tuesday afternoon officers were called to a report of a concern for welfare of a woman who had gone missing near Clifton Country Park.
Officers searching the area spoke with a member of the public who advised them they had seen the woman standing close to the River Irwell.
PC Milho put the woman’s life before his own and entered the water in order to reach her and keep her head above the water before guiding her towards the bank.
At this point a few members of the public were also offering their help to assist in the rescue and, together with officers, were able to pull the woman and PC Milho up the bank and to safety.
The woman is now in the hospital where she is recovering.
PC Fabio Milho said: “The main reason I joined the police was to help people, in particular those most vulnerable within our society and what I faced was the visual representation of this. As I approached I saw a person who appeared to be downing in the middle of a fast flowing river.
“This was my time to step up and demonstrate the reason why I joined the police. I instinctively took my police gear off and jumped in. Luckily I was able to swim across to the person in distress and rescue them.
“The experience was eye-opening to say the least. I consider myself a good swimmer, however swimming in a fast-flowing river after running for over a mile to get to the incident location proved to be taxing on my body.
“The woman was also struggling and exhausted and at times pulled me under the water as I tried to get us both to safety.”
ACC Mabs Hussain said: “The quick-thinking actions and coordination of these officers saved this woman’s life and made sure she was pulled to safety from a dangerous situation.
“PC Milho was also taken to hospital to recover but remains safe and well. I’m extremely proud of their actions and the way in which everyone responded.”
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