PC swam 100 metres offshore to save distressed woman heard calling for help in darkness

A DYFED-POWYS POLICE officer has been praised for his bravery after entering the sea at midnight to rescue a distressed woman heard calling for help off the coast of Milford Haven.

PC Spencer Rourke swam around 100 metres offshore in darkness after locating the woman in the water off Milford beach during the early hours of Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Police were first alerted at 12:31am after a distressed woman on Hamilton Terrace called emergency services and said she intended to enter the sea. Described as highly emotional and panicked, her call prompted an immediate police response.

Officers searched the area but were initially unable to find her. A further update from the control room suggested she had moved towards Foam beach, prompting officers to widen their search.

PC Rourke, alongside PS Anthony, parked at the rear of Foam and began checking the area on foot. In the stillness of the early morning, the officers heard a faint sound coming from the slipway.

As they moved closer, they heard a woman shouting from out at sea.

Using torchlight, the officers eventually spotted her around 100 metres from shore, clearly in distress.

Without hesitation, PC Rourke removed his police kit, grabbed a lifesaving float and entered the water.

As he swam towards her, the woman attempted to move further away, but he caught up with her and managed to take hold. Despite difficult conditions and the woman’s distress, he remained with her and guided her safely back towards shore.

Fellow officers waiting at the water’s edge helped bring both to safety.

The woman survived thanks to what colleagues described as PC Rourke’s “swift, selfless and decisive actions.”

Above and beyond

PS Anthony later praised his colleague, saying there was little doubt that PC Rourke had saved the woman’s life.

He described the officer’s actions as “far above and beyond what would be expected” and praised his judgement, courage and willingness to place himself at considerable personal risk to protect a vulnerable member of the public.

Chief Constable Ifan Charles said: “I am immensely proud of PC Rourke, whose actions on 24 May 2025 exemplify the very best of policing.

“Without hesitation he entered the sea to rescue a woman in distress, saving her life. His courage, selflessness and decisive action under extreme circumstances are truly commendable and bring great credit to the service.”

Dyfed-Powys Police Federation Branch Chair Delme Rees also praised the officer, noting the dangers of the water in Milford Haven.

He said: “PC Rourke absolutely deserves the recognition and admiration for his life-saving actions on 24 May 2025.

“The waters in that area are extremely dangerous as it’s a tidal estuary and a busy shipping lane. You have oil tankers moving through the water and the Pembroke Dock to Rosslare ferry route nearby.

“PC Rourke was the right officer at the right time because he had the physical ability to do what was needed, but it still took a bold and selfless decision to commit to entering the water that night.”

Pic caption:

Hero officer: PC Spencer Rourke swam into the sea at Milford Haven to rescue a distressed woman in the early hours of May 24 (Pic: Police Mutual).

WELSH LABOUR has called on the Plaid Cymru Government to set out whether it will act on a Senedd vote backing the creation of a new negotiating body for school support staff.

The proposed School Support Staff Negotiating Body would provide a national forum for discussing pay, terms and conditions for workers such as teaching assistants, caretakers, cleaners, cooks, administrative staff and lunchtime supervisors.

Supporters say the body is needed to address long-standing inconsistencies in pay and conditions across Wales, including concerns over term-time-only contracts, limited career progression and the lack of a dedicated national bargaining structure for non-teaching school staff.

The issue was raised in the Senedd by Welsh Labour’s Huw Thomas following the passing of an Opposition Day motion last week. The motion, tabled by Labour, secured cross-party support and called for progress on establishing a Welsh SSSNB.

During questions to the Cabinet Minister for Effectiveness and the Constitution, Mr Thomas pressed the Welsh Government on whether work had begun on legislation.

He asked: “Can you confirm that as the Cabinet Minister responsible for the legislative agenda, you are respecting the Senedd’s wishes and have begun preparing legislation for a School Support Staff Negotiating Body?”

Welsh Labour says the proposal would bring Wales into line with England, where legislation has already been taken forward to create a School Support Staff Negotiating Body for workers in state-funded schools.

The policy was also a Welsh Labour manifesto pledge and has been backed by trade unions including UNISON and GMB, which have campaigned for better recognition, fairer pay and clearer career structures for school support staff.

Labour argues that support staff play a vital role in the day-to-day running of schools and in supporting pupils’ learning, wellbeing and safety, but that their pay and conditions have not always reflected the importance of their work.

Mr Thomas, Welsh Labour’s spokesperson for Finance, Democracy, Citizenship and the Welsh Language, also pressed ministers for assurances that manifesto commitments would appear in the Programme for Government in the form originally promised.

Labour said the Plaid Cymru Cabinet Minister declined to give an unambiguous commitment that all manifesto pledges would be carried forward.

However, Opposition Day motions passed by the Senedd do not in themselves create legislation. They place political pressure on ministers to respond, but the Welsh Government is not automatically required to introduce a Bill.

Any new negotiating body would also require detailed work on funding, the role of local authorities, union representation, school budgets and how national terms would interact with existing council and school employment arrangements.

Welsh Labour says ministers must now provide a timetable for legislation and explain how they intend to work with unions, councils, schools and support staff on the creation of the body.

PLANS for new guidance on mobile phone use in Welsh schools have sparked a political row, after Labour accused Plaid Cymru of sending mixed messages over whether phones could be banned during the school day.

Education Minister Anna Brychan has announced that the Welsh Government will bring forward guidance aimed at restricting pupils’ use of mobile phones in schools.

The guidance is expected to set out what schools should consider when managing phone use, amid growing concern about distraction in classrooms, behaviour, social media use, and the impact of smartphones on pupils’ wellbeing.

The move could lead to tighter rules across Wales, although the question of whether there should be a national ban — or whether individual schools should retain flexibility — remains politically sensitive.

Welsh Labour said schools needed clarity, claiming the guidance had originally been commissioned while Labour was in government.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “Schools need clear guidance on what is expected of them when it comes to the use of mobile phones. We commissioned this guidance when we were in government.

“Just a few weeks ago the First Minister seemed to rule out banning phones in schools, but today the Education Minister has been clear that could still be an option. Schools need clarity.

“What’s important is that schools and unions are engaged with and the school workforce is supported in these decisions.”

The row comes as ministers face pressure to address the growing role of smartphones in young people’s lives, both inside and outside school.

Supporters of tougher restrictions argue that phones are a major source of distraction and can contribute to bullying, anxiety and poor concentration.

Others have warned that schools need clear, practical rules that staff can enforce, with proper engagement with teachers, unions, pupils and parents.

The debate now centres on whether Wales should move towards a national ban, or leave individual schools to decide how far restrictions should go.