Ref. 27081/3A TRAINEE policewoman who overcame her fear of heights and off-duty officers who chased knife-wielding thieves were among the recipients of police awards in Melksham on Tuesday.

All the recipients were nominated by fellow police officers in recognition for their work over the past two years.

Certificates were awarded for a number of outstanding examples of police work including a trainee officer who overcame her fear of heights to save a suicidal man.

Presenting the awards was Chief Superintendent Amanda Evely, who said: "These prizes are in recognition of a variety of outstanding contributions in the fight against crime.

"It shows that even in sleepy old Wiltshire police officers can be faced with the unexpected every day." PC Julie Mason, from Chippenham has only been with the force for 16 months and is still on probation but received special praise for saving a man's life when he pledged to jump from a railway bridge.

She said: "I was just about to go off duty when I heard that a man I knew was threatening to jump form the bridge.

"It was quite harrowing for me because I am scared of heights.

"I don't know how high it was I never looked down and just concentrated on the job I had to do."

Chippenham PCs Andy Pullen and Dave Eddy were praised for saving hostages from a siege in Woodlands Road, Chippenham in June 2001.

PC Matt Stone won special recognition for his calmness when faced with a drunken man wielding an iron bar who used his nine-month-old baby as a shield, in Allington Way Chippenham last year. But awards did not only go to on-duty officers.

PCs Lee Armit, Pete Sparrow and Sgt Matt Armstrong were relaxing at Kingdown Golf Course in Corsham last year when they stopped two thieves stealing from the clubhouse.

They chased the men and were threatened with a knife.

Sgt Armstrong, from Chippenham, was also rewarded for his communication skills when he stopped a suicidal woman jumping to her death from a multi-storey car park in Trowbridge.

But not every case the police dealt with over the past two years had a happy ending. Chippenham PCs Nigel Williams and Dom Gerety were praised for dealing with a man with head injuries who later died, in Corsham last November.