Two Sussex Officers Handed Bravery Awards For Daring Sea Rescue

Two Brighton officers are attending the National Police Bravery Awards tonight (July 10) after risking their lives at sea to save a vulnerable child from drowning.

Sergeants Matthew Seekings and Craig Lees made the late night rescue more than 50 metres out to sea at Brighton in May last year.

They responded after a drone unit detected someone in the sea after police received a report of a vulnerable missing teenage girl.

“We knew we had to act as quickly as possible,” said Craig. “As soon as we got in the water we knew we were committed. The one goal was to make sure she was safe. ”

Matthew added:

“We were lucky that the sea was quite calm, however it was very cold, it was incredibly dark, and anything beyond 10 or 20 meters you wouldn’t be able to see without some illumination.”

Under the light of the drone, the two officers observed the teenage girl’s head going under the water several times, indicating she was in significant trouble and at risk of drowning. Although the coastguard was called, the time of their arrival was unknown.

The officers removed their kit and swam out to rescue the girl, pulling her safely back to the beach and into the hands of paramedics who took her to hospital.

Craig said:

“After a while you lose a sense of where you are and where the victim is as she was dipping in and out of the water, you lose your surroundings.

“When we reached out to her, we knew the one direction to go, backwards to the shore and that was a much better feeling.”

Matthew added:

“In the cold water your chest constricts and it’s hard to breathe. You can’t take a full breath. It’s hard to talk and we swam in dogged silence.

“When we got back to shore, I don’t know about Craig but I was exhausted, all I could do was crawl on all fours up the beach.”

Craig agreed:

“The cold more than anything took it out of us.”

Their courage is being recognised, along with 68 other police officers from 38 police forces, at a ceremony in London tonight, after they were nominated for a Police Federation National Police Bravery Award.

“It’s a real privilege to be nominated,” said Matthew. “I think myself and Craig have been recognised for what all police officers would do.

They were very relieved that the girl was safe and both said it was a team effort.

“We couldn’t have been able to do it without having the drone pilot there to light up the area,” said Matthew.

“Something we didn’t consider was that we had turned off our radios and removed our kit, so we could no longer communicate, so the officers on the beach were playing a key role in that.

“Whilst Craig and I are the ones nominated, it was the whole team and every officer there who had a part in it and made it possible.”

Craig agreed:

“This wouldn’t have been achieved without teamwork, everyone collectively should be really proud of their efforts.”

Chief Constable Jo Shiner said:

“I absolutely commend Sergeants Matthew Seekings and Craig Lees for their outstanding bravery. They didn’t hesitate to act to ensure they didn’t lose sight of the girl in the dark. Without fear for their own safety, their swift and courageous actions helped bring this vulnerable girl to safety and it is absolutely right that their efforts are recognised.”

Sussex Police Federation Chair, Raffaele Cioffi said:

“In recognition of extraordinary courage and selfless dedication, we proudly honour Sergeants Seekings and Lees, whose fearless actions in braving the sea to save a young life exemplify the highest standards of duty and the risks officers willingly take to protect the public. Your bravery is an inspiration to us all.”