The sisters of a police officer who drowned after falling into Bristol’s Floating Harbour at the end of a ‘normal’ night out have vowed to continue fighting for better safety measures around the city’s waterways.
PC Rehaan Akhtar, 28, from Llanelli in South Wales, died after falling into the water near Arnolfini in the early hours of Sunday November 23 following a day of heavy drinking with friends.
His body was recovered from the water on Monday, November 24. An inquest has officially recorded his death as an accidental drowning, with no third party involvement.
At the inquest into his death at Avon Coroners Court today (Tuesday, May 12), coroner Dr Peter Harrowing declined to recommend further safety measures be introduced around Bristol’s Harbourside.
Dr Harrowing found the council and other responsible bodies already had enough practical measures in place, such as ‘grab chains’ to assist people that fell into the water.
“It is quite disappointing to hear that there’s going to be no kind of drastic safety measures put in place to prevent it happening in future, which is what we were expecting to hear today,” Neema Majni, one of PC Akhtar’s sisters, said.
“We’re just really confused as to how many more times it’s got to happen before safety measures are put in place.”
Neema and her sister Rabia said they were going to keep fighting for safety improvements to be implemented in Bristol. They said better fencing near the waterfront in Swansea, near their hometown, had led to a decrease in the number of drownings.
A statement from PC Akthar’s family read out at the inquest described him as a fun-loving, active and health conscious young man who generally knew his limits. At the time of his death, he had bought and was renovating his first home in anticipation of moving in at the start of this year.
PC Akhtar had travelled from Llanelli with a group of his friends for a day out in Bristol on Saturday November 22. They arrived in the city at about 1.15pm, dropping their bags at the youth hostel they were staying in on Narrow Quay before heading to King Street to watch a Wales rugby match together.
The pontoon at Bristols Harbourside near the Arnolfini, where it is believed PC Rehaan Akhtar, from Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, fell into the water and drowned(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach Plc)
In a statement read by Dr Harrowing, one of the group, Corey Griffiths, confirmed they drank about nine pints of lager each over the course of the afternoon and early evening, before heading to Za Za Bazaar, Circuit nightclub and Coyote Ugly where they carried on drinking.
Mr Griffiths was one of the last people to see PC Akhtar alive. They headed for their hostel, crossing Pero’s Bridge at about 1am while the friends they were with stayed out.
Mr Griffiths said PC Akhtar had been in “really good spirits all day.” “It just felt like a normal night out,” he said.
The group became concerned when PC Akhtar did not return to their hostel the next morning and alerted emergency services. His body was eventually found by a dive team on the morning of Monday, November 24.
The young officer’s death sparked fresh safety concerns for the harbour, with some calling for additional measures such as barriers to protect people from the water. At the time, Bristol City Council shared its sympathies to PC Akhtar’s family and friends and highlighted the need for caution next to the water particularly for those enjoying the city’s nightlife.
However, the inquest heard evidence from harbour master David Lockwood that a “comprehensive framework” to manage safety was already in place.
“Fencing the whole estate (is) not recommended as an acceptable or practical control method,” Mr Lockwood said in a statement read by Dr Harrowing.
“Considerable work has been done to ensure the consistent provision of public rescue equipment and warning signs… (is its) not possible to fence off pontoon edges as this would prevent vessel operations.
“(It is) not practical to completely barrier off the entire water’s edge as this is a working harbour… extensive railings would fundamentally alter the harbour’s character.
“The city remains committed to doing everything practicable to enhance safety.”
Drownings in Bristol’s waterways are rare but do occur on average at least once a year. Between 2014 and 2022 Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it had recorded 13 people who had accidentally drowned in the city.
PC Akhtar was a constable with South Wales Police, having joined the force as a police community support officer (PCSO) in Cardiff in 2021.
His funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners after tributes flooded in for the popular PC. Football teams in Wales also paid tribute to the talented sportsman, who played for Calsonic Kansei Swiss Valley AFC.
South Wales Police Federation secretary Mike Graham described him as, “a young, passionate and enthusiastic officer, whose death will be felt by so many friends and colleagues who knew him.”