Copied from today’s news report. The police did try.
Heartbreak and heroism: Lake deaths community unites
Members of the public and police officers initially went into the water to try to get the children, before they were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters.
West Midlands...
The problem is only one boy actually put his leg through the ice. The other two drowned or froze to death trying to save him. Unless you have the equipment to save them from the pond, you are just throwing your life away needlessly. The minimum needed is a rope.