Prince Albert police, negotiator help man off bridge safely

Prince Albert police are being credited with possibly saving a life.

A man who was reportedly in severe distress and in “an emotional crisis” was helped off Prince Albert’s train bridge last weekend with the help of Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) officers.

The officers were called to the area just before noon on Mar. 20  after receiving a report of a man on the bridge.

Officers, when they arrived, could see the man was “distraught,” a release from PAPS said.

The man reportedly refused to speak with police for some time, but eventually began to nod in response to questions. He also accepted a coffee. After 45 minutes, a trained crisis negotiator was brought in to help.

Sargent Kathy Edwardsen has more than 20 years of experience as a police officer and has trained as a negotiator since 2004. There wasn’t much information on the man when she arrived at the scene, and she said it was hard, at first, to even learn his name.

However, Edwardsen’s kind ear is credited for helping get the man to agree to leave the bridge and seek medical attention.

Edwardsen said the man’s pain was visible.

“I told him that we wanted to help and that we were going to stay with him for as long as it took to get him to safety,” she said. “I said there is no problem too big it can’t be solved, and that we would try to help him get through the pain.”

Nearby, members of Parkland Ambulance and the Prince Albert Fire Department were waiting.

Eventually, the man accepted help off the bridge. He was connected with an officer from the PAPS police and crisis team. He was taken to get something to eat, then taken to hospital to be assessed. Police stayed with the man until a doctor saw him to ensure he was safe.

Edwardsen said situations like these are all about listening and rapport built with the man by patrol officers helped her continue a conversation with the man when she arrived. She said reassuring him help was available and good teamwork were what helped make the man feel supported and eventually helped him leave the bridge.

“It wasn’t me that brought him off that bridge, it was the team,” Edwardsen said.