25th February 2016. A very distressing incident occurred recently at NCI Swanage. A local woman appeared to jump from the cliffs at Peveril Point in front of the NCI watch station. After alerting the emergency services, two of the watch keepers, - Janet Carrigan and Mark Taylor (a trainee on only his second watch) went to the cliff despite strong winds and heavy rain to assess the casualty who had landed on the rocks twenty feet below. Steve Woods, the third duty watch keeper, kept the emergency services updated as the situation developed. The watch keepers continued to comfort the woman until rescue services arrived. Police, Coastguard, Paramedics, the Air Ambulance and a Coastguard helicopter attended the scene and the casualty was eventually winched up by the Coastguard helicopter Rescue 106 and airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. Unfortunately the woman, who was in her 50s, had sustained very serious head and chest injuries and later died in hospital.

 Chief inspector Bob Acaster said emergency services had "worked hard in very difficult weather" to rescue the woman from the cliff and an update on Swanage Coastguard's website said: "Emergency services responded to a concern for welfare this afternoon following reports a woman had gone over the cliffs at Peveril Point. Coastguard Rescue Officers from Swanage and St Albans were tasked along with Dorset Police officers and the ambulance service”.

 The local Cliff Rescue Team Leader contacted Ian Weston, Station Manager at NCI Swanage, to compliment the exceptional performance of the watch keepers involved. The watch supervisor at Fareham National Maritime Operations Centre also contacted Ian to thank National Coastwatch for their excellent response. Ian Weston confirmed that, “The watch keepers involved in this incident conducted themselves in an exemplary manner in what was a traumatic event”.