A courageous cop who had tackled a gunman threatening to shoot his mum has been nominated for a bravery award.
Sgt Graham Yare was confronted with what looked like a fearsome submachine gun when he responded to a 999 call in Gateshead.
Police call handlers had earlier heard the gunman shout he was "armed up" and could hear what appeared to be gunshots in the background during the emergency call.
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But that did not stop Sgt Yare from climbing over a fence into the back yard when the man was and disarming him after the weapon, which turned out to be a replica, was pointed directly at him.
The Northumbria Police officer has now been nominated for a National Police Bravery Award. And he has today been praised for his courage.
Northumbria Police Chief Constable Winton Keenen said: “I am privileged, on a daily basis, to witness high levels of resilience, fortitude and personal endeavour by our officers, staff and volunteers and have come to expect exceptional behaviour as the norm.
“However, even when set against so many other significant demonstrations of bravery and selflessness, the actions of Sgt Graham Yare stand out as being truly exceptional.
“This is an occasion where the exceptional, selfless and outstanding behaviour of Graham, demonstrating as it does such bravery in the service of others, should be recognised and commended at the highest level.
“Indeed, each and every one of us, as public servants and members of our local communities alike, should take pride and reassurance from the courage displayed by Graham in such extraordinary circumstances.
“Graham is a credit to policing as a whole and particularly to Northumbria Police and the fantastic region of the North East he represents so well; doing so on behalf of so many of his like-minded colleagues.”
Sgt Graham Yare and two other officers attended the 999 call to a domestic incident, in June last year, and found the man prowling around in the property’s backyard.
Sgt Yare immediately tried to gain access to the back yard, but the man refused to let him in. Knowing the man was a danger to his mother, himself, and the officers, the officer climbed the fence to gain access to the yard.
But once inside, Sgt Yare found what appeared to be an Uzi submachine gun being pointed directly at him. The weapon was later found to be an air replica, but the cop was unaware of this at the time.
Drawing his Taser, Sgt Yare instructed the man to drop the weapon, but he refused to comply. He then deployed his Taser, but this had little initial effect as the man again pointed the firearm at the officer’s head.
Sgt Yare managed to recycle his Taser and deploy it for a second time, which caused the man to drop his weapon. The other officers at the scene then managed to bring the man under control, kick the gun away and detain him.
A later search of the property unearthed a vast cache of replica firearms, including an AK-47 style firearm, and several knives and long blades.
In May this year the man pleaded guilty to possession of firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Northumbria Police Federation Chair Jim Gray said Sgt Yare had shown incredible bravery as he would not have known whether the weapon being pointed at his head was real or not.
“From the 999 call, he was well aware the suspect in this incident had guns and other weapons,” Jim said, “But of course, he couldn’t have known they were air replicas.
“Graham is not a firearms officer – he put himself at significant personal risk to ensure the safety of the man’s mother and the man himself, his police colleagues and other members of the public.
“It was an extremely brave act, and we’re all very proud of him.”
The National Police Bravery Awards honour officers from across England and Wales who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.
As a nominee, Sgt Yare will join colleagues from across the country in attending a reception and an evening awards ceremony in London in July.
The awards are sponsored by Police Mutual.
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