Man rescued from bridge

Press, 22 June 1981, Page 1

Man rescued from bridge

PA Auckland A young policeman was just regaining the feeling in his’ arms when he spoke yesterday about a second successful rescue on the Grafton Bridge, Auckland, in as ,many days. The policeman. Constable Rodney Kitto, and a passerby held the arms of a man, aged 21, through the concrete railings, of the bridge for about 30 minutes on Saturday night before firemen lifted the man to safety.

Constable Kitto was full of praise for the passer-by, a Mr M. Williams, and another man who grabbed the man, who was perched on the outer ledge of the bridge, and held him until the police arrived.

I “I am convinced we would (have been handling a suddendeath file if Mr Williams had (not. been there,” Constable ■Kitto said. He said that he had lost ithe feeling in his arms durpng the rescue. ; "My hands had been (jammed against the concrete ffor some time. I could not hell if I was still holding the Iman.”

! .Constable Kitto had to [ nanoeuvre his neck deli-

cately -to see if the man was still within his grip.

He said that the rescue was as dramatic as any of the previous four in his seven-year career.

“We kept calm and continued talking to him as he sat on the ledge. He was very rational but we were not convinced when he said he was coming back over.”

Constable Kitto said that talking somebody down before they jumped from a bridge was an emotional strain.

’ “It keeps you awake in the night: it takes ages to get to sleep. At times you just cannot get it out of your mind." Constable Kitto said that he could not remember any specific police training for such instances but that the experience of tragedies in his own family helped when talking to people contemplating suicide. He could explain to them that theirs was not the only tragic story ever. Constable Kitto, aged 27, has previously talked three people down in separate incidents on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and now two in the last week on the Grafton Bridge. Early on Friday, Contable Kitto and his partner, Constable C. Lawton, who also helped him in the rescue on Saturday, found a youth about 50m along the bridge standing\on the 15cm ledge outside the railing and safety fence. Constable Kitto successfully talked the youth back; to the safe side of the fence during 90 tense minutes. ' .

Yesterday he ; had the day off and celebrated the..first birthday of his twin daughter!?: • . • "