Shropshire police officer's key role in M42 jump threat drama
A police officer from Telford had a key role in talking down a man from a motorway bridge during a drama that brought traffic chaos to the West Midlands.
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Wells was involved in the operation on the M42, which saw the motorway closed for 24 hours. He spoke on Twitter of the difficult negotiations, which ended with the man being led to safety and later sent for psychiatric treatment.
DCI Wells said: "I want to give my sincere thanks to all who took the time to help and support."
Police criticised some messages on social media over the disruption caused. Some motorists even called for the man to jump.
But the officer said: "There have been a huge array of messages and the positives far outweigh the negative. They are really appreciated."
Mr Wells is one of the force's trained negotiators which was why he was called out of his patch in order to help with the situation.
The M42 was closed at about 12.45pm on Saturday at the A38 road bridge over the M42 at junction one. It reopened at about 3pm yesterday. Mr Wells was one of a number of police officers from West Mercia who joined forces to help bring the man back to safety.
Chief Supt Martin Evans, head of the Central Motorway Policing Group, said: "The man had been safely detained under the Mental Health Act. He was taken to a local hospital ensuring he is receiving the appropriate support he needs. Our number one priority was to protect life."
Supt Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia Police, said: "I would like to apologise to all motorists who have experienced significant disruption as a result of this incident."
