By CASEY NEILL
A ROOFTOP rescue in central Dandenong has earned praise for two police officers.
Senior Constable Rob Atkins and Constable Bianca Aitken responded to calls from a Lonsdale Street shop owner who said he had an agitated man on the roof about noon on Saturday 1 February.
“Just how to get up there was the main issue,” Sen Const Atkins said.
“We had to just go through one of the shops and went to the old ladder out the back, up on an outhouse.”
The man was wearing only shorts, was dehydrated and sunburnt and appeared to be in “a drug-induced state”.
The unstable roof was littered with pieces of broken glass, nails and other debris.
“It was a very hot day and it appeared that he had been on the rooftop for some time,” Sen Const Atkins said.
“He was quite unpredictable.
“He was in no condition to safely get himself and us down.”
Sen Const Atkins stayed calm during negotiations.
“When he fired up we backed off and left him to his own devices,” he said.
“He didn’t say a lot at all and he didn’t want to speak to us.
“We kept on telling him we were there to help him and explained what was going on the whole time.”
Sen Const Atkins called for the CFA to attend with an extendable ladder and a cherry picker, and talked the man into putting on a safety harness and handcuffs.
“It was a relief for us to get off the roof,” he said.
“The awning’s not too safe and we were up there roasting for quite some time.”
Paramedics took the man to hospital for assessment.
Sen Const Atkins said it remained unclear why he was on the roof, but he would not face charges.
“Getting up there’s very difficult and I’ve got no idea how he did it,” he said.
“He said he got up there when it was dark.
“There was no sign of any burglaries or anything.”
Senior Sergeant Jill Dyson said Sen Const Atkins remained calm under difficult circumstances and communicated well with all emergency service members.
She said Const Aitken acted as the go-between with the CFA, brought supplies to the rooftop and directed traffic to allow CFA access.
“I am very proud of the actions of my members on the day,” she said.
Sen Const Atkins said he was “pretty happy” with the outcome.
“It’s better than being dragged into the boss’s office for a telling-off,” he said.
