Two Suffolk police officers who tackled a man threatening betting shop staff and members of the public with what appeared to be a handgun have been recognised for their bravery on a national level.
Police Constables Craig Cullen, 48, and Ryan Butters, 29, were involved in an incident which started in the Sudbury branch of Coral in June last year.
The offender, Mohamad Al Sarnawi, 31, of Salmon Lane, London brandished the weapon in the face of the cashiers, asking "if they wished to die".
He then left the bookmakers and reportedly threatened a member of the public by holding the firearm to her head, demanding money and a cigarette.
The two officers tackled Al Sarnawi after finding him waving the weapon round in a busy town centre street - it was only later discovered to be an aftershave bottle in the shape of a pistol.
"It all happened very quickly, we didn't have time to worry about the consequences," said PC Cullen.
"We just needed to get the offender under control and prevent him from hurting anyone else."
Al Sarnawi was jailed for 16 months at Ipswich Crown Court in December last year.
Both officers were surprised to hear they had been nominated for the National Police Bravery Awards and PC Butters added: "As police officers, it's not often that you get recognised for the good work you do.
"We just knew we needed to get hold of him and arrest him. After all, although the weapon wasn't actually real, there was always the possibility that it could have been."
They were invited to Number 10 Downing Street on Thursday, July 13 to attend an awards ceremony alongside their fellow nominees from across England and Wales.
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