A COURAGEOUS police officer waded into the sea to save a woman’s life.

PC Magda Strycharska, pictured right, was called to Brighton beach in January where RNLI volunteer Dickon Mitchell was struggling to rescue a woman.

Earlier, PC Tara Barnard had contacted the missing woman after concerns about her grew. From background noise she could hear the woman was at the beach.

The RNLI and Coastguards were sent and Dickon left the lifeboat to try to bring the distressed woman to safety.

But after going so far, he was in need of help, and PC Strycharska said she could see Dickon had “hit the wall” physically.

The trio were presented with awards at the Brighton and Hove Police Divisional Awards last week.

PC Strycharska, who has been an officer for 11 years, said: “It was very dark and cold. I didn’t have time to be scared.

“I realised it was not very level underwater, it was a shock at first, but I was there to help the woman and the RNLI.”

Dickon said: “I had to carry her from the water, without dragging her over the rocks.

“We got the pager to wake us up and we knew we had to launch as quickly as possible.

“It was so tiring. I was pretty done by the time the police arrived, I couldn’t thank them enough.”

PC Barnard, meanwhile, had already earned praise for a similar rescue, where she had talked to a suicidal woman.

She engaged the woman, who suffered with mental health difficulties, and kept her calm, and then helped colleagues to find her on the shore.

PC Barnard had been a student officer on probation at the time, it was revealed.

Brighton Divisional Commander Nick May said: “As a result of their quick thinking, bravery and teamwork, they were able to save the woman’s life.”

He said the woman had gone into the sea and became unresponsive, and she suffered hypothermia before being taken to hospital.

The trio were all given certificates of

merit.