TWO Swindon police officers who saved a suicidal man just moments before he was about to jump to his death from the Tewkesbury Way footbridge say their immensely proud that they arrived just in time.

PC Kimberley Winton and PC Rebecca Webb were called to the bridge on July 29 and on arriving the pair noticed the man had a ligature around his neck which was tied to the bridge railings. Concerned he may jump imminently, they grabbed him through the railings.

PC Webb, 22, who has been part of the force for three years, said: “I have dealt with people who have suffered with mental health issues in the past but not in the same circumstances as this case where the man was on the other side of the bridge and ready to jump.

“I kept trying to talk to him calmly and he had taken a lot of medication and was unsteady on his feet so we were quite worried that if he didn’t jump he would slip.

“Both me and Kimberley are quite small and he was quite a big man so holding him through the railings took a lot out of us and we were exhausted. It was a nice feeling walking away knowing we managed to stop him in time but it was quite emotional knowing it could have ended differently.”

It took all of their combined strength to hang onto the man for 10 minutes and both received bruising to their arms and legs in the process.

Other officers rushed to the scene with a seat-belt cutter to cut the ligature and they all held onto the man until the fire service arrived to hoist him to safety.

They were awarded the Chief Constable’s Certificate of Commendation at the ceremony - something which PC Winton, 35 said she was immensely proud of.

She added: “I’ve never had to deal with anything like that before and the dangers of the situation were very real and immediate. I don’t know how we managed to hold on for so long because like Becky said he was quite big and we were lucky that we managed to get there in time to stop him.

“Afterwards I felt emotional and I think that had something to do with the adrenaline. I’m proud of us because we did a really good job and ultimately saved his life.”