EMERGENCY services from across Plymouth were held to a standoff on Thursday night as a possibly armed man refused to come down from a property roof.
Police negotiators, local officers, firefighters and paramedics were called to a property on Holyrood Place, Plymouth Hoe, around 1am after reports a man was carrying a knife while sat on the roof.
Although concerned for the 44-year-old's welfare, negotiators were withdrawn from the scene by 3am after it was concluded the man was no longer a threat.
Local officers stayed at the scene until the morning, though the man fled the scene before returning unharmed in the afternoon.
A police spokesperson said: "We were called to an address on Holyrood Place at around 00.50 following reports of a disturbance.
"On arrival police had concerns for the welfare of a 44-year-old resident who was also believed to be carrying a knife and was sitting on the roof of a property.
"Police attended and negotiators spoke with the man. Fire also in attendance.
"Our negotiators then left around 3am after it became apparent the man, while still on the roof, was no longer a danger to himself or to others.
"Local officers stayed with the man who then left the roof and fled the area early in the morning. The man later turned up unharmed in the afternoon."