Yahoo News Brave Co-op shopper let down tyres of thieves' getaway car
Shopper Sue Bohanan attempted to block the entrance of a convenience store to stop thieves escaping - before letting down the tyres of their getaway car. Now she has been recognised for her efforts to stop the three men who had been 'emptying shelves of bottles and spirits'.
The incident unfolded at Co-op's Gnosall store in December last year. Staffordshire Police say Sue had spotted the trio raiding the booze shelves before, without hesitating, blocking the entrance and challenging them.
They managed to get out of the shop and dart across the road - with Sue, a Specials coordinator with Staffordshire Police, hot on their heels. The thieves didn't have time to get into the car and went in some nearby fields.
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So Sue, who had called 999, let down the tyres of their vehicle to make sure they'd really struggled to get away. A number of officers arrived at the scene with one suspect found and detained.
Subsequently the man, a 43-year-old, of Wolverhampton, later pleaded guilty to theft from a shop and was fined £435 at North Staffordshire Justice Centre. This week and Sue, who has served in the force's Specials constabulary for more than 30 years, was presented with a gold-plated silver medal at the National Police Chiefs Council’s annual Police Public Bravery Award.
Staffordshire's Chief Constable Chris Noble said: "It makes me really proud that Sue’s brave actions have received national recognition. It takes bravery, as well as instinctive reaction, to do what Sue did. She is someone who is invested in day-to-day policing, is clearly very committed to her local community and has a real sense of justice at her core as well.
“Once you're a part of the police family, there is that additional responsibility to take crime personally, to protect our communities and to make sure there are consequences for people who do commit offences."
