Talented Amanda Gallacher is a one woman crime fighter taking on the baddies single handed – as Britain’s only UNICYCLING police officer.
Special Constable Amanda, 20, was crowned European’s number one female unicyclist and was once ranked third in the world.
But she is now a serving police officer and spends her working life patrolling the streets of Cullompton in Devon.
She pounds her beat on foot but off duty Amanda is pulling stunts and tearing up the streets on her one-wheeled unicycle.
In 2007 Amanda won the women’s European Championships in Germany and in 2006 finished third best female at the World Championships in Switzerland.
Amanda says the unicycle stays at home when she is at work but she recently gave a demonstration in uniform at a public event.
She said: ”I never found it very difficult and I don’t think my sense of balance is better than anyone else’s.
”In fact, I could never ride without hands on a bicycle. It is just that unicycling is something I love to do.
”It’s something people think you do in the circus but when I showed them what I could do they stopped thinking that.
”I got into it because I grew up in a small village and someone I knew got a unicycle. We all wanted a go and I really liked it and found I had a natural ability.
”Unfortunately I’ve had an ankle injury so I’ve not been able to do much recently and at 20 I’m getting a bit old for unicycling.”
Amanda recently used her unicycle while in full police uniform during a cycling tour of Britain which passed through Cullompton.
She jumped on her one saddle and performed some tricks – including jumping over an officer who was lying in the road.
PCSO Adrian Legg, her colleague at the Cullompton neighbourhood team, said: ”I asked Amanda to come back to Devon so that we could perform a warm-up act before the professionals came through.
”Amanda was only too happy to help and she performed a fantastic array of tricks, much to the appreciation of the waiting schoolchildren.
”At one time she even had me playing the role of a sleeping policeman in the middle of the road. She couldn’t resist showing off the skills that once made her number one British unicyclist.”
Amanda has been an officer in Cullompton since July 2009 and is due to move to the Isle of Wight and is transferring to Hampshire Police.
In 2006 she took part in the Unicycle World Championships in Switzerland and finished third best female in a field of 900 competitors from 24 countries around the world.
She was also crowned Europe’s best female in 2007 after taking part in three disciplines – freestyle, trials and high jump.
