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| Police defend drowning death case | Police defend drowning death case |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police chiefs have defended two community support officers (PCSOs) who stood by as a 10-year-old boy drowned in a pond earlier this year. | Police chiefs have defended two community support officers (PCSOs) who stood by as a 10-year-old boy drowned in a pond earlier this year. |
| Jordon Lyon jumped into the pond in Wigan, Greater Manchester, after his eight-year-old stepsister Bethany got into difficulties on 3 May. | |
| Two fishermen jumped in and saved Bethany but Jordon became submerged. | Two fishermen jumped in and saved Bethany but Jordon became submerged. |
| The inquest into his death heard the PCSOs did not rescue him as they were not trained to deal with the incident. | The inquest into his death heard the PCSOs did not rescue him as they were not trained to deal with the incident. |
| Jordon was playing at the edge of the pond known locally as John Pit, off Wigan Lower Road, in Standish Lower Ground, with his two brothers, stepbrother and stepsister on 3 May. | |
| He was trying to support Bethany as she struggled in deep water before slipping from view. | |
| Nearby fishermen managed to pull Bethany from the water but Jordon slipped from view before they could get to him. | |
| The alarm was raised and the PCSOs arrived on the scene. Police said they could see no sign of Jordon in the water, so they radioed trained officers for help. | |
| If I had been walking along a canal and seen a child drowning I would have jumped in Anthony Ganderton, stepfather | If I had been walking along a canal and seen a child drowning I would have jumped in Anthony Ganderton, stepfather |
| Members of Jordon's family also rushed to the scene to join the search. | |
| He was eventually pulled from the water, which was more than 6ft (2m) deep, but despite attempts to resuscitate him was later pronounced dead in hospital. | |
| A verdict of accidental death was recorded. | |
| His mother, Tracy Lyon, and stepfather Anthony Ganderton, of Bluebell Avenue, Wigan, wanted to know why the PCSOs did not try to rescue Jordon and why they did not give evidence at the inquest held by deputy West Manchester coroner Alan Walsh. | |
| Mr Ganderton told the inquest: "I don't know why they didn't go in. I can't understand it. | Mr Ganderton told the inquest: "I don't know why they didn't go in. I can't understand it. |
| "If I had been walking along a canal and seen a child drowning I would have jumped in. | "If I had been walking along a canal and seen a child drowning I would have jumped in. |
| "You don't have to be trained to jump in after a drowning child." | "You don't have to be trained to jump in after a drowning child." |
| 'Not trained' | |
| In a statement after the hearing, Det Ch Insp Phil Owen, of Wigan CID, who led the investigation into Jordon's death, said: "PCSOs are not trained to deal with major incidents such as this. | |
| "Both ourselves and the fire brigade regularly warn the public of the dangers of going into unknown stretches of water so it would have been inappropriate for PCSOs, who are not trained in water rescue, to enter the pond. | "Both ourselves and the fire brigade regularly warn the public of the dangers of going into unknown stretches of water so it would have been inappropriate for PCSOs, who are not trained in water rescue, to enter the pond. |
| "This was a tragic incident where a young boy lost his life and we would once again want to pass on our heartfelt condolences to Jordon's family." | "This was a tragic incident where a young boy lost his life and we would once again want to pass on our heartfelt condolences to Jordon's family." |
| Paul Kelly, chairman of the Police Federation in Manchester, said PCSOs just don't have the same level of training as police officers to deal with life-saving situations. | |
| "The message is clear and unambiguous, it's the government, they are trying to fool the public," he said. | |
| 'Life-saving experience' | |
| "They take a person and dress him up as a police officer but they just don't have the same powers. | |
| "Every single police officer I trained with left training school with a life-saving certificate of some sort." | |
| He said the PCSOs might not have been able to swim, and in that case they should not have risked their lives. | |
| But he added: "People throw themselves into rivers and ponds to save people every day because it's the right thing to do. | |
| "This is an accident waiting to happen again." |