A WINDSURFER who tried to save the life of a sailor on a Gwent reservoir was among those honoured at a special awards ceremony.

James Morris, aged 23, of Coedypaen, was awarded the Royal Humane Society award at this week's Gwent Police awards for his efforts to save elderly Ken Jones.

Mr Morris was windsurfing on Llandegfedd reservoir near Cwmbran when he noticed a dinghy had collapsed and a man was in the water.

He saw sailor Mr Jones was trapped under the dinghy, swam 30 metres over to him and pulled at his buoyancy aid bringing his head to the surface.

He supported Mr Jones until help arrived and then carried out first-aid. Sadly Mr Jones later died, but Mr Morris was awarded for his bravery by the chief constable, Mr Keith Turner.

Afterward, Mr Morris, a friend of Mr Jones, said: "I don't deserve the award as a life was lost."

People who received the chief constable's commendation include: l Newport PCs Becky Taylor, Richard Oakerbee and Brian Murphy for their part in arresting two violent offenders.

The incident happened in April 2000 and PC Taylor was kicked in the face while trying to arrest the men.

The men were attacking another man, and they hit him in the face with a heavy metal ratchet which fractured his skull.

One of the men was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and the other was deemed not fit to plead.

Ebbw Vale PC Mario Burke didn't think of his own safety when he went into a burning building to rescue the residents.

In November 2001 the officers were called to a fire in a block of flats in Caerphilly's Lansbury Park.

He could see occupants of the flats were in danger and got a ladder which they used to smash a window and spoke to two occupants who were too afraid to leave their home. The fire brigade then evacuated the people and PC Burke went into another flat where two elderly people had been unaware of the blaze, escorting them to safety.

Three officers disarmed a severely depressed person in the Brynmawr area. PC Alec Webley, PC Blair Jones and another PC, who doesn't want to be named, found a man brandishing a 10-inch butcher's knife.

They overpowered the man and managed to seize the knife.

Officers who arrested a man brandishing a knife in Ebbw Vale were all commended. Sergeant Jonathan Woods, PCs William Duggan and Leigh Holborn were all involved in the incident in April 2001.

Detective Constable Kevin Price has been working in the child protection section of the police for six years.

He received a commendation for his work on a case where two sex offenders were finally sentenced to 14 and eight years imprisonment. He praised the bravery of abuse victims as he accepted the award.

The driving force behind the new national radio project for the police called Airwave was commended for his work.

Paul Murphy was said to have shown "dogged determination in the face of many frustrations and setbacks".

Another recipient was PC Blair Jones. He was partially thrown through the window of a van as he tried to arrest a disqualified driver.

Despite injuring his back the Ebbw Vale officer managed to hold onto the driver until help arrived.