Off-duty Special Sergeant delivers vital CPR to a member of the public in Hereford

An off-duty Special for West Mercia Police was in Hereford town centre last week when he came across a member of the public, a man in his 50s, who had collapsed on the floor unconscious.

The incident happened at around 2:45pm on Tuesday, 4 September after Special Sergeant Phillip Millichip had parked his car on Gaol Street.

He was about to walk into town when he noticed a group of people surrounding a man lying on the ground.

He went over to the group to see if the man was ok and upon arrival, learned that the member of public who had raised the alarm and called for an ambulance had never delivered CPR before.

Special Sergeant Millichip checked the man's pulse which was very weak and quickly took over administering CPR after learning that he had been unconscious for approximately five minutes prior to his arrival.

CPR was continued until a stronger pulse was detected and the man was able to breathe for himself. Special Sergeant Millichip then placed the man in the recovery position and waited with him until paramedics turned up. The man was then taken to hospital for treatment and has since been released.

Special Constables are unpaid, part-time police officers who work in some of the most important areas of policing, using their spare time to make a difference.

All of our Specials are given first aid training to ensure they are equipped to deal with situations such as these both on and off-duty.

Without Special Sergeant Millichip's quick thinking and proactive response in coming to the aid of this member of the public, the consequences could have been very different.

Special Sergeant Millichip from Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police said: "Even though I was off-duty, instinct kicked in and I felt that I acted as any other person would in that situation.

"I had a responsibility to help especially as I'd received first aid training as part of my training to be a a Special.

"All I wanted to do was ensure that I did everything in my power to help this man and reduce the possibility of him suffering permanent and/or life changing injuries before the ambulance arrived.

"If presented with the same situation again I wouldn't hesitate to help. I'm just so glad that I was able to help and that this member of the public is now recovering from this incident."

Special Sergeant Millichip's supervisor, Special Chief Inspector Christian Smith for West Mercia Police said: "It is always a pleasure to hear good news stories involving my officers.

"I am so very proud of Special Sergeant Millichip for stepping in whilst off-duty and delivering such vital first aid to this member of the public.

"I have no doubt that if he hadn't taken action when he did the outcome may have been very different.

"It's great to see that the skills Special Sergeant Millichip learnt whilst being a Special Constable have been put to use even when off-duty. It just shows that our Specials are never fully off-duty."