Two Merseyside police officers have been praised after they rescued a missing ten-year-old boy from a lake in Crosby.
The boy, who is from Ormskirk, had been at Crosby marina with his mum, 11-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister on Thursday afternoon.
He had gone to get changed out of his swimwear in the dunes after spending some time playing in the lake.
But when he did not return, his family frantically tried to find him before they contacted the police to report him missing.
A massive multi-agency operation was quickly put into place that involved Merseyside Police the Coastguard and the Port Police.
For 90 minutes, teams carried out a detailed search of nearby Crosby beach, the marine lake and surrounding areas.
The boy, who has complex needs, was finally spotted by two police officers as he struggled to stay afloat in the middle of the deep marine lake.
When PC John Liauw-Jen-Choy and PC Rebecca Morgan-Richardson spotted the boy and saw that he was in immediate need of help, without any hesitation, they risked their own lives and entered the water before swimming out to the boy.
The officers, who were on plainclothed patrol at the time, were able to rescue the boy before he disappeared under the water.
The boy, who is not being named, was then reunited with his family.
His thankful mum said:
“We had been told to wait by our car while the police searched for him.
“They kept ringing to say they had had sightings of him then we heard the news he had headed back to the lake and had been spotted in the middle of the water.
“It was a massive relief when we were told they had him. He doesn’t know the area and has no concept of how far away from home we were. The longer it went on, the more worried I had become. He isn’t a strong swimmer.
“He was a bit upset afterwards but is absolutely fine now.
“The officers were very reassuring and everyone was very kind. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Constable John Liauw-Jen-Choy, who has four year’s service and Constable Rebecca Morgan-Richardson, who has been with the force for 19 months, are based at Marsh Lane in Bootle.
Sefton Inspector Dave Uren said:
“It was a credit to John and Rebecca that as soon as they realised what the problem was, they went straight into the water to get to the boy and bring him to safety.
“I am delighted that my officers were able to help in this situation and that it had a happy ending.”
Simon Pendlebury, development manager at Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre, said:
“Although picturesque Crosby Marine lake should not be used for bathing due to the potential dangers.
“The adventure centre offers a number of safe and family fun ways to enjoy the water all under the supervision of experienced and fully trained individuals.”
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