Jump threat causes chaos in Birmingham city centre

Sep 26 2008 By Catherine Lillington

A MAN caused traffic chaos when he threatened to jump from a Birmingham road bridge – for the second night running.

The man, aged in his mid-40s, threatened to jump from Fletchers Walk on to the road below last night.

Just 24 hours earlier, police negotiators talked him down after he perched himself on a bridge in Dale End, Priory Queensway.

Police said they arrested the man for his own safety under a public nuisance law and he will now have a psychiatric assessment.

Insp Justin Spanner, of Steelhouse Lane police station, said the man threatened to jump because “he wishes to have help” but has refused to tell officers why.

He said: “He’ll have an assessment by a mental health team. That will be the first process to go through. We have been quite proactive to make sure this doesn’t happen a third night in a row.”

Diversions were put up from Paradise Forum to Centenary Square and the surrounding roads after the alarm was raised, shortly after 6pm. A police negotiator talked the man down just after 6.30pm.

On Wednesday night the roads surrounding Priory Queensway were temporarily sealed off during rush hour. The man threatened to jump at 5pm which meant thousands of people had to be directed away until the stand-off was resolved and the roads re-opened just after 6pm.

The man, who has not been named, was arrested for breach of the peace and assessed by a doctor. He then appeared before Birmingham Magistrates and was released from court yesterday afternoon.

Insp Spanner added: “There was both traffic and pedestrian congestion but people were very patient with us and the police officers managed to talk the man down.”