Bravery can be termed in many ways however I would like to make it known that a fellow colleague deserves a medal for holding his nerve and maintaining his professional composure.

Whilst we were engaged on a Local Authority contract gathering evidence against house holders on a notorious estate, where an ASBO family were terrorising local residents and neighbours. My colleague was engaged on surveillance duties in a tactical observation vehicle captured a culprit firebombing a neighbours house.

He without panic dialled 999 and called for the Fire Brigade. Before they were able to arrive a masked man walked in to the small car park (with only eight spaces) where he was parked in the back of his van and witnessed the fire-bomber then hurl two petrol bombs at a mini-bus owned by the householder whose house had also been attacked.

My colleague remained calm and captured the evidence on film which will be used in a later prosecution. He kept his nerve where many would have lost theirs. He did not know if his vehicle was next and if he had compromised himself by panicing and ’showing out’ then he certainly may have been next.

Even after all had gone quiet and the police and fire brigade had gone he kept the video rolling capturing the returning culprit who needed to evidence the matter on his mobile phone for himself.

 We extracted our man just before 6am. Talk about ‘courage under fire’

Well done that man! you know who you are.