A Brighton man’s arrest after being pulled from the sea has prompted a pat on the back for the bravery of two police dog handlers.
The 41-year-old man was brought ashore with the help of a police dog in the early hours of Sunday.
He had fled from officers from Sussex Police who were called to deal with a report of a man assaulting a woman and pulling her into a car in Saltdean.
The suspect ran on to the beach near Saltdean Lido and tried to swim out to sea. He threatened the officers who were chasing him – PC Desmond Kirby and PC Geoff Fox – and threw stones at them.
Police dog Sabre followed the man into the water and PC Kirby dived into the rough sea after his dog.
They pulled the man on to the beach at about 2am and he was arrested.
PC Kirby said: “It was pitch black and the sea was very rough and extremely cold.
“The man kept going under and it was difficult to follow him.
“We were concerned for the man’s welfare due to the length of time he had been in the water and his attempts to swim out further.
“If he had remained in the water there was a real possibility he may have died.
“Police dogs aren’t trained to swim out in rough seas so it’s very impressive that Sabre was able to swim out in the break water and hold onto him, stopping him from swimming out further and harming himself or other officers.
“I swam out after Sabre and was then able to pull the man ashore and detain him with the help of other officers.”
Superintendent Ian Davies congratulated the dog handlers. He said: “The police officers’ common sense and good judgment prevented this incident from escalating and led to the arrest of a man wanted for assault.
“PC Kirby and his dog Sabre did a fantastic job in a dangerous and difficult situation and I commend all the officers involved for their dedication and bravery.”
The RNLI Brighton lifeboat was summoned but the crew were stood down before their vessel could even leave Brighton Marina.
