Thieves, guns and stopping a man with a samurai sword – a day’s work

Published: 16 September, 2010
by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS

THE borough commander for Camden praised his best-performing officers at his last ever commendation ceremony on Friday – and was then surprised by a touching tribute in return. 

Dominic Clout, who retires this month after nearly three years in charge of Camden’s police.

He told the officers that being their boss had been a “great privilege” as he bowed out at the Town Hall. 

As a thank you to him, the officers paid tribute to his “remarkable leadership” and his “personal style”.

Other police to be commended at the ceremony included Detective Sergeant Mark Richards and Police Constables Kevin Marsh and Liz Juhasz, who carried out a routine call on a housing estate in Camden Town only to discover an air gun and some maps which led the way to dozens of firearms found buried in woodland in east London.                                                                                      

Another example of policing described as excellent by top officers came after an armed robber held up workers at the Camden Town branch of Sainsbury’s in Camden Road in February. 

He was caught and handcuffed the next day after quick-thinking Police Constable Kamran Shaikh spotted him on a bus, having merely heard a description from supermarket staff. 

“Like the Canadian Mounties, we always get our man,” said Superintendent Roger Smalley.

Another officer to be commended was PC John Dunwell, who in March single-handedly disarmed a mentally unwell man who had been wandering along Finchley Road brandishing a samurai sword.

 Onlookers applauded as he wrestled the man to the ground at the corner of Arkwright Road.

PC Dunwell already has a commendation following another heroic arrest a year earlier.

For his latest act of bravery he was praised by Chief Inspector Louis Smith as having “possibly saved the public from a much more serious incident”.