Greater Manchester Police unarmed police officers take down gunman in north Manchester

Greater Manchester Police unarmed police officers take down gunman in north Manchester

This clip reveals the terrible moment Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers ignored orders and took down a shooter in north Manchester.

The thrilling dashcam clip shows PCs Jack Grainger, Jessica Hamblett, and Richard Hayes taking down gunman Mohammed Shabaz Rafiq despite hearing a gunshot just moments earlier.

On March24,2016, the police, who were unarmed, were told to wait for backup, but nevertheless intervened as the streets started to fill with kids returning from school.

The gunman is now behind bars and the trio have earned national bravery awards for their heroism. Mohammed Shabaz Rafiq, 24, whose prints were found in the bag, was jailed for five years in July last year for possessing an illegal firearm

PCs Jessica Hamblett, 29, from Ramsbottom, Richard Hayes, 42, from Flixton and Jack Grainger accepted their awards at the 2022 Police Bravery Awards last week.

The trio were in their tenth hour of a fairly routine shift when they spotted some men in a phone box known to be used by drug dealers.

‘We were looking at them and then we heard a bang,’ PC Hamblett said. ‘I turned to my colleague and said: ‘That’s a gunshot’.

‘As I said that, a guy came running with a black bin bag, clutching it to his stomach. We pulled up alongside him. He’s realised we’re coppers and started running.’

He ran towards a black Ford Focus with three other men inside near Ashgill Walk but the door was locked. In his desperation, he ripped the handle off. He was seen throwing the bin bag through the open window of the car as it tried to speed away.

While PC Grainger chased the man who had thrown the bag, PC Hayes used his baton to smash the closed windows of the car as it mounted a kerb in an attempt to escape and manoeuvre around parked cars.

PC Hamblett admitted the scene was ‘like a comedy sketch’ before she and PC Hayes drew their Taser stun guns and ‘red dotted’ the men in the car, who continued their slow-motion getaway.

The officers radioed for backup, admitting they had overridden instructions to wait.

 ‘We couldn’t wait for armed resources to arrive,’ PC Hamblett said. ‘There were kids in the street. You have to react to that. That’s what you sign up for when you join the police.

The dramatic footage captured the moment the men were captured by the brave cops

‘Honestly, I would do exactly the same again. He was that close to us. We were already in too deep. It’s ‘do you engage with it?’ or let someone with a live firearm go towards school children. Some officers have said we were absolutely mad and that they wouldn’t have done it. But I think anybody in our position would do the same thing.’

PC Hayes added: ‘I knew straight away it was a handgun. I have firearms experience. We’ve got kids. We don’t have time to worry about it afterwards.’

A gun was discovered in a black bin liner underneath the car, not on the man who had fled. The weapon was a converted blank-firing Retay handgun, with a cartridge still in the chamber.

Mohammed Shabaz Rafiq, 24, whose prints were found in the bag, was jailed for five years in July last year for possessing an illegal firearm.

Lee Broadbent, the chairman of the Greater Manchester branch of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: ‘What a tremendous trio of colleagues. We are very proud of their work.

‘The actions of Jack, Jessica and Richard in pursuing a male who was armed with a firearm, which they believed had just been discharged, was exceptionally brave.

‘The officers acted fast to detain this man and prevent any harm to members of the public, at significant risk to their own wellbeing.

‘Not only was the suspect apprehended, but their excellent commentary during the pursuit directed other officers to support, and the subsequent scene management ensured the recovery of the weapon and other important evidence.

‘The actions of these officers has brought a very high-risk individual into custody, which will have had a significant impact on protecting and reassuring the local community.