Tribute to officer amid city harbour safety review

The family of a South Wales Police officer, who died after falling into Bristol Harbour last year, have described him as "a big-hearted loving guy" and "genuinely down to earth."

Rehaan Akhtar, 28, from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, is believed to have wandered away from friends on a night out in the early hours of 23 November 2025 and was found in the water the next day.

His death and others have prompted a safety review of Bristol Harbour.

Akhtar's sister, Meena Najmi, told the BBC she wants the council to consider more barriers - something the city's harbour committee said it would assess.

"[Rehaan] loved spending time with his family and his partner," Najmi said.

"They were about to move into a house together and get married in January.

"He was genuinely a lovely, loving boy who would do anything to help anyone."

Bristol City Council's harbour safety review is currently examining what practical measures can be taken in what remains a working harbour.

"We'll be looking at how feasible our ladders currently are, for example, how many there are and whether they're in the right places," said Councillor Andrew Brown, Chair of the Harbour Committee.

"We'll be looking at lighting and we'll be looking at other measures as well."

Asked whether the review would consider whether more safety barriers, Councillor Brown said: "It's something we'll look at."

He added: "We are aware of the working operation requirements [of the harbour], and we need to balance those off, but we will look at whether there needs to be greater delineation between the land side and the water's edge."

Akhtar's family has seen CCTV footage showing some of his final moments and believe he fell from a boat jetty, a moment they described as "devastating".

"If [the railings] were moved closer to the water's edge, I think that would be a lot safer," said Najmi.

"They definitely need to put a little bit more lighting up and some steps, so if someone were to fall in and were able to get out, there's a route for them then to climb out, if they're not seen or heard."

A full inquest into Akhtar's death is due to take place.

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