Police lauded for saving man's life at bus stop

Pc Grant Lennox and Pc Jennifer MacGregor. Picture: Police Scotland

Pc Jennifer MacGregor and Pc Grant Lennox were nominated for an award at the ceremony which was held at the Glasgow City Hotel on Friday.

The pair were among ten nominees in the “Emergency Hero” section, before making the cut as top three finalists.

Speaking after the event, which was organised as part of the Our Heroes awards, which were run by the Daily Record newspaper, Pc MacGregor said: “It’s unusual to get this sort of recognition so we’re both delighted.

“We feel we were just doing our job and luckily our training kicked in and we were able to save this man’s life.

“It was quite surreal when it happened – we were passing in our patrol car and saw someone lying on the pavement with a few people standing around, trying to help.

“Obviously we wanted to find out what was going on, and when we went over it was clear the man was in cardiac arrest.”

As the Evening News revealed in January, Pc MacGregor performed CPR for five minutes until the ambulance arrived, and then for a further five minutes while paramedics did their own medical work.

Meanwhile, her colleague Pc Lennox carried out extensive inquiries to establish the man’s identity and contact next of kin.

“We both managed to stay calm even though it was an extremely serious situation,” said Pc Lennox.

“We tried not to think about the fact this man might die, so we just went into autopilot.

“It could’ve easily gone wrong but thankfully, it didn’t.”

The 75-year-old spent almost a month in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where Pc MacGregor visited him.

After the incident, which happened on Dalkeith Road in November last year, the man emailed Police Scotland thanking the officers for their actions, and asked for them to be recognised.

Inspector Kevin Rafferty, of Craigmillar Police Station, said: “I’m proud of the two officers as they dealt with what was a difficult situation really well. I’ve been told that if it wasn’t for their actions, this elderly gentleman would not have survived.

“It’s not very often that police officers get recognised for the good work they do, so it’s very much appreciated when it does happen.

“Despite weeks of training, you never know how people will react when faced with a situation like this – we’re all human regardless of whether you’re a police officer or not.

“There’s an emotional side to these incidents as well, so I’m pleased with how Pc MacGregor and Pc Lennox handled it.

“I’m sure they’ll enjoy their celebrity status in the office, but they certainly won’t be getting any days off for it.”