Content Area You are here: Home > News, Appeals & Features > Chief Constable speaks out after media speculation Chief Constable speaks out after media speculation Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon has spoken out about the public comment and media speculation that followed the death of Shaun Dykes.
Shaun died after falling from a tall building in Derby city centre.
Mr Creedon said: "The tragic death of Shaun Dykes at Derby on 27th September has attracted much comment and media speculation. The pain that Shaun's family and friends are suffering must be unimaginable and they have my deepest sympathy. The primary responsibility of the police is the protection of life, and the Derbyshire Constabulary will always have this responsibility at the forefront of our response to such tragic events as Shaun's death last Saturday. We have very well trained and experienced staff, well practiced in dealing with such incidents and I have no doubt that the officers involved in talking to Shaun on Saturday did their best with the situation they were presented with. The fact that they were unsuccessful in negotiating Shaun to safety will have been very painful for them, particularly for the two officers who spent two hours talking directly to him. They have my sincere thanks for their efforts as, I'm sure, they have the thanks of the vast majority of those reading this.
Whilst we are very used to dealing with incidents like this, this was unusual with members of the public videoing, taking photographs and even shouting for Shaun to jump; pictures have even been posted on the Internet after the event. All my experience and belief in the good in people tells me that the vast majority of the crowd who watched the events unfold were wishing for the best result, hoping that Shaun remained safe and well. However, all of us associated with the Force see the actions of that small minority who were encouraging Shaun to take his own life as totally abhorrent - it disgusts me to think of their motivation and their lack of compassion towards a fellow human being obviously in distress. I know people are asking why these irresponsible idiots weren't arrested at the time, but I ask the public to understand that the few available officers at the scene were doing their best to manage a difficult situation so as to allow trained staff to talk to Shaun. They should not have to deal with the extra distraction of the deviant and ghoulish behaviour of a few, and if arrests had been made this would have necessitated perhaps two officers leaving the scene for every person arrested. Very quickly we might have had no staff available to provide the necessary security and safety cordon, placing even more people at potential risk.
The police were not the only agency involved in trying to bring about a peaceful resolution and I give my thanks to the other emergency services and the staff of the Westfield Centre. We all worked together to try and support Shaun, and this collective effort makes the behaviour of the few so distasteful.
I know I speak for the huge majority in again condemning their behaviour and I would ask them to examine their consciences and consider what impact they might have had on what was a very traumatic situation for a vulnerable young member of our society. I hope this is never repeated and am in no doubt that the people of Derby and Derbyshire join me in extending our heartfelt condolences to Shaun's family and friends." [Back to top of page]
It has recently been made public that on September 27, seventeen year old Shaun Dykes jumped off a multistory building following encouragement from the crowd. According to the BBC's Today programme, a variety of different people, including youths and middle aged citizens, were telling the teenager to jump.

Alasdair Kay, director of the Derby City Mission, saw the incident unfold. He expressed his shock and disgust at the incident. "People were filming… we could hear people shouting 'Jump, you,'" she said. "They weren't all just young people, some were middle-aged. To be honest with you I was sickened."

Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon, also yesterday commented on the indent. "The tragic death of Shaun Dykes at Derby on 27th September has attracted much comment and media speculation," he started. "The pain that Shaun's family and friends are suffering must be unimaginable and they have my deepest sympathy."

"The primary responsibility of the police is the protection of life, and the Derbyshire Constabulary will always have this responsibility at the forefront of our response to such tragic events as Shaun's death last Saturday," he continued. "We have very well trained and experienced staff, well practiced in dealing with such incidents and I have no doubt that the officers involved in talking to Shaun on Saturday did their best with the situation they were presented with."

"The fact that they were unsuccessful in negotiating Shaun to safety will have been very painful for them, particularly for the two officers who spent two hours talking directly to him. They have my sincere thanks for their efforts as, I'm sure, they have the thanks of the vast majority of those reading this."

Shaun Dykes, had been raised in a single parent family in a village near Derbyshire and he recently returned from a business course to study to become an accountant or a pilot.

Before his death, he was working part time in a local pub. Craig Doxey, his best friend, described Dykes. "He was always smiling and laughing about stuff. I think if it wasn't for the crowd, Shaun would have got down and got some help from all his mates, work colleagues and the police."

He went to Heanor Gate Science College, and he was openly gay. According to one of his friends from that school, Rebkha Minkley, "he always came in, in the morning with a smile on his face."

According to the Today program, Dykes is believed to have left a suicide note before jumping off the building.