On the evening of Friday, January 12, this year, a call was received by the mental health service that a man was about to kill himself.

Constables Becky Collings and Mark Noble were sent to the scene.

Upon entering the property in Douglas via an insecure door, they immediately noticed an electrical cable running from the kitchen in to the bathroom.

The plug was switched on and the cable led to a toaster, which was balanced on the edge of the filled bath.

The man was sitting in the bath.

Constable Collings distracted the man, engaging him in conversation, whilst surreptitiously signalling to Constable Noble to switch off the power supply to the toaster.

This he did without being seen, but the instant he did so the man took hold of the toaster and lowered it into the water.

Quick-thinking

Had the device still been live, the man would certainly have been electrocuted.

Formally commending them, Chief Constable Gary Roberts said: ’The officers acted quickly in a testing situation.

’Had the man succeeded in electrocuting himself he would also have put them at some danger.

’Their calm quick thinking saved his life.’