POLICE officers face a wide range of difficult and potentially dangerous situations during the course of their work - but few challenges are as great as those faced by PCs Danny Ormes and Steve Griggs on the Orwell Bridge.

POLICE officers face a wide range of difficult and potentially dangerous situations during the course of their work - but few challenges are as great as those faced by PCs Danny Ormes and Steve Griggs on the Orwell Bridge.

Confronted by a suicidal man threatening to throw himself 40 metres into the river below, PC Ormes managed to prevent a tragedy.

His actions were genuinely heroic - PC Ormes put his own life at risk by saving the man as he grabbed hold of him to prevent him from jumping.

It would have been quite possible for him to get dragged over the side of the bridge as he tried to save the man.

And PC Ormes was also faced by the prospect that if he got things wrong, if he misjudged the situation in the smallest way, the highly-disturbed man could have jumped from edge of the bridge.

That would have been a dreadful outcome for the police officer.

However PC Ormes' cool head and swift actions saved the day. He managed to prevent the man from jumping off the bridge and ensured he was taken to hospital for the treatment he needs.

He can be truly proud of his day's work, safe in the knowledge that there is someone alive today who would be dead had it not been for his actions.

Police officers faced with someone threatening to commit suicide have a difficult job - they really do have to judge the situation as it develops. You cannot study in advance how to deal with someone who is not behaving rationally.

PC Ormes judged the situation on the Orwell Bridge perfectly, and ended up with the best possible result.

IPSWICH Regent theatre is getting a long-awaited, and some would say long-overdue, refurbishment with new seats, a new colour scheme, and new carpets.

It is hardly surprising that with such a big operation being undertaken in a few weeks of the summer, that there have been some teething troubles with the organisation.

The news that some tickets for shows are having to be re-issued because of a change to the seating arrangements is clearly disappointing to the theatre management but is hardly a disaster for the town.

It may be creating unwanted additional work, but it doesn't alter the fact that East Anglia's largest theatre is ending up with a smart new look - and an entertainment programme that is the envy of the region.

IPSWICH'S former Odeon cinema has been silent now for two years and its prominent position in the town centre is constant reminder that there remains a big hole in the town's entertainment life.

So news that the ambitious proposals to turn it into a new family leisure centre are being reassessed is a real blow to the town.

Everyone will hopes its new owners carry out a speedy review of what should happen to the building and start work soon on bringing it back to life.

The old Odeon needs to find a new use as soon as possible - Ipswich cannot afford to have such a prominent building standing empty indefinitely.