TWO police constables who had to haul a suicidal woman from an Oxford bridge were presented with awards alongside their colleagues.

Graham Weir, Simon Gray and more than 20 other police staff and volunteers were honoured at the local police area commander Superintendent Christian Bunt’s commendation ceremony on Wednesday at Oxford Town Hall.

They were all commended for going above and beyond the call of duty and showing exceptional devotion to their work.

Pcs Weir and Gray had no idea what to expect when they were called to fears for a woman’s welfare on Folly Bridge, Oxford, at 6.30pm on Monday, November 17.

What they found was a woman in her early 20s, on the river side of the bridge threatening to throw herself off.

The ceremony heard that almost without hesitation Pc Weir, 34, climbed over the bridge and grabbed hold of her.

Two passing members of public then grabbed hold of him to stop him being pulled of the bridge if she did jump.

Pc Gray, stood nearby, was trying to co-ordinate action by the other emergency services when she did exactly that.

Pc Weir held her tight while the two members of public held onto him and the young woman dangled over the river.

Together with Pc Gray, they managed to haul both over them back over the wall to safety. The whole incident lasted about 20 minutes.

Pc Weir said: “You can’t have a script for that situation. There is an element of that, but you need to speak to someone on a human level.

“She was insistent that she didn’t want us there, and said we hadn’t helped her on previous occasions.”

The two Pcs were joined by their families as they were presented with certificates recognising the danger they placed themselves in to rescue a vulnerable woman.

Pc Gray, 42, said: “It is nice that the Superintendent recognises the efforts that families put in.

“They are our backroom staff – when we have a bad day, they have to hear all about it.”

Pc Dawn Evans of Barton, Risinghurst and Sandhills Neighbourhood Team was commended for her work on bring an assault case to court with a victim and a witness who were reluctant to testify.

She said her ability to persuade them to testify was “completely” down to her years on the beat getting to know locals, but she also paid tribute to the team around her.

The Oxford CCTV team, several staff from the facilities team, PSCO Warren Johnston and mental health nurse Kathy Smith White were also honoured.

RECIPIENTS

* Pc Dawn Evans was commended for her dedication and professionalism in investigating the report of assault where the victim was seriously injured
* Pc Jonathon Lewis and Pc Lauren Carey were commended for their patience, humanity and presence of mind when they negotiated with a distressed man
* Mental health nurse Kathy Smith White was commended for her work in supporting Thames Valley Police in Oxford City and Oxfordshire on the Street Triage scheme
* Pc Martyn Williams was commended for his professionalism
* PCSO Warren Johnston was commended for his enthusiasm and pride in delivering high quality service
* Members of the CCTV team were commended for their hard work
* Members of the facilities team – Ray Jordan, Pete Dodgson and Neil Pettit – were commended for going above and beyond their job role