ON Sunday, July 27 at approximately 4 a.m., the New Westminster Police Department received a request for assistance from Richmond RCMP to locate a woman in crisis who was believed to be in the Fraser River.

Two officers boarded Shaw 1, the NWPD police boat, and joined alongside the Canadian Coast Guard to search for the missing women. After approximately 30 minutes of searching, officers located the women clinging to a log boom. Officers provided life-saving first aid to the woman before BC Emergency Health Services paramedics arrived on scene.

“One of the overarching goals of the New Westminster Police Department is to save lives, and the work of these officers demonstrates just that,” said Sgt. Andrew Leaver. “We’re pleased they found this woman and connected with her health care team.”

If you feel you would benefit from speaking to a mental health professional, visit the Fraser Health website: https://www.fraserhealth.ca/. If you feel you might be in danger of hurting yourself or someone else, you should call 9-1-1 or go to a hospital emergency department right away. Neighbours can call or text 9-8-8 to access bilingual, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate mental health and suicide prevention support to anyone at risk. The service is free and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. More information about 9-8-8 Crisis Helpline, visit the 9-8-8 website: https://988.ca/