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| PCSOs 'did not watch boy drown' | PCSOs 'did not watch boy drown' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Community support officers (PCSOs) "did not stand by and watch" a 10-year-old boy drown, a police chief has said. | Community support officers (PCSOs) "did not stand by and watch" a 10-year-old boy drown, a police chief has said. |
| Asst Ch Con Dave Thompson defended the two PCSOs actions after the death of Jordon Lyon, who drowned in a pond in Wigan, Greater Manchester on 3 May. | |
| He said officers were not expected to jump into the water to rescue people and there was no indication where Jordon was in the lake. | He said officers were not expected to jump into the water to rescue people and there was no indication where Jordon was in the lake. |
| An inquest into Jordon's death recorded a verdict of accidental death. | An inquest into Jordon's death recorded a verdict of accidental death. |
| Jordon had leapt into the water after his eight-year-old stepsister Bethany got into difficulties as they collected tadpoles. | |
| He was trying to support Bethany as she struggled in the six-feet-deep water before slipping from view. | |
| Two anglers jumped in and saved Bethany but Jordon became submerged. | |
| 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. | |
| Mr Thompson said they would not encourage any police officer to jump into the water because of the dangers and he paid tribute to the PCSOs for "acting correctly". | |
| But he insisted: "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. | |
| Fraught with danger | |
| "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." |