A COUPLE who both risked their lives dealing with the aftermath of a Balkans assassination, have won commendations for their bravery and quick-thinking.

As a military police officer, 27-year-old Corporal Robert Balmer was the first on the scene when a car bomb killed the Serbian ambassador to Kosovo, in Pristina last year.

He tried to help the victims, before sealing the area to protect evidence which could be vital to an investigation.

Among the team called in to examine the scene was his wife, Lisa - also a military police officer and a corporal, working in Kosovo with the weapons intelligence unit.

By the time she arrived, the bomb disposal squad had swept the street and declared the area safe.

However, while Lisa was examining the wreckage for evidence which could point to how the car bomb was made, she realised she was standing on top of a secondary device - a milk carton packed with makeshift shrapnel and surrounded by TNT.

After she had edged away one careful step at a time, the bomb disposal unit was recalled and the second device defused.

Lisa's coolness has won her a Joint Commanders' Commendation while Robert has been given a commendation for his mental agility by the Commander of the Multi-National Brigade Centre.

"You don't really think about the danger when everything's happening around you; you just do the job," said Robert.

"Finding the second bomb was a little worrying, but it wasn't until much later that it hit me just how much danger I was in," said Lisa, also 27.

The couple are now back home in the UK, based with the military police at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

However, after receiving their awards, there was little time to reflect on their achievements. Both have been assigned to an exercise on Salisbury Plain and were back in action yesterday.