Size no hindrance, says Britain's smallest policewoman

First we heard about PC Robin Port, at 5ft tall probably Britain's smallest policeman . Now step forward PC Sue Day, a full two inches smaller than Port, but like him proof that when it comes to policing size really doesn't matter. Day, believed to be Britain's smallest female police officer at 4ft 10in – 1.47 metres – joined Wiltshire police 16 months ago and is part of the force's response team based in Swindon. While Port, of Devon and Cornwall police, revealed that he tackles the bigger offenders by hitting them low, Day said that ne'er-do-wells were often stopped in their tracks by the very sight of her. "They are taken aback and I think it actually helps. I think people give me respect for being this short and being a woman and at the same time being a police officer, especially in confrontations," she said. "We have many offenders who say they'd never hit a female and when I step in I find I'm often able to calm things down. "Being a police officer is not just about being big and strong, it's much more about communication skills and taking the tension out of a situation," Day told the Western Daily Press. "I also get on well with teenagers. Maybe they see me as less of a threat to them but I can get them to talk to me more perhaps than they might otherwise to a big strapping policeman. Being my size certainly has its benefits." Day, 37, said she used to work for a property management company, believing her stature meant she could not join the police. But she did her research and found that height restrictions had been lifted. The only problem Wiltshire police had was finding a stab vest small enough for Day. They had to have one specially made.