CLIFF-TOP DRAMA LATEST: Fears man could jump
A MAN involved in cliff-top drama in Sidmouth is a ‘suicide risk’, police fear.
A force helicopter and has been scrambled to Salcombe Hill this evening (Tuesday, April 26) as scores of people watch events unfold from the seafront.
A Beer Coastguard team has also been deployed to the scene to assist officers with crowd control and to give safety advice.
Ambulance crews are also at the scene and Sidmouth’s lifeboat crew has been placed on standby.
A Portland Coastguard spokesperson said: “We had a report from Devon and Cornwall Police of a male who is a potential suicide risk near the cliff edge and that he was seen acting in an odd way. Police have reason to believe he might attempt to jump off.
“We have dispatched Beer Coastguard to assist police with safety and crowd control. “We are not involved in liaising with the man himself.”
It is understood police negotiators were in contact with the man.
One onlooker told the Herald: “The emergency services are all here and the seafront by the Lifeboat Station is cordoned off. There’s about 100 people gathered here watching.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here