THREE Devizes police officers spent an hour calming down two mentally ill people, one of whom was armed with a knife.

On Monday at 2pm officers were called in to deal with a middle-aged woman who had a kitchen knife and was making threats to kill herself in the grounds of the former Roundway Hospital.

While they were talking to the woman, a man climbed on to the roof of a derelict building about 100 yards away and threatened to jump off.

Police spent several hours talking down the same man on September 15 when he threatened to jump from the roof of a 90ft high derelict building in the former hospital's grounds, which adjoin Green Lane Hospital.

He is understood to be a voluntary patient at Green Lane Hospital, which treats people with mental health problems.

Insp Pete Bowerbank and WPCs Nikki Burt and Julie May were involved in the incident on Monday.

Insp Bowerbank said: "After we located the woman we spent an hour talking with her. She wasn't threatening us but from time to time she held the knife up to her chest and we were concerned that she would harm himself.

"Whilst we were dealing with her a man got on top of a derelict building. He had been wandering about the town during the day threatening to kill himself by jumping off bridges.

"I spoke to him at the same time as I was negotiating with the woman.

"Eventually one of the officers distracted the woman and I was able to get close enough to take the knife off her.

"The man on top of the building eventually climbed down and he later returned to Green Lane Hospital."

The woman was arrested under the Mental Health Act and it is understood that she is now a voluntary patient at Green Lane Hospital.