An off-duty officer helped catch a wanted fugitive while out celebrating his wedding anniversary.
Community Support Officer (CSO) Mark Halliday was walking with his wife of 23 years towards The Grotto in South Shields for a surprise celebration.
But while walking towards the seafront, he spotted a man coming out of the Kirkpatricks pub and realised it was a suspect who had been evading police for months.
CSO Halliday quickly rang his colleagues at Millbank Police Station and guided them towards the 41-year-old man’s location.
The suspect was interrupted having a pint in the Ship and Royal and placed under arrest.
Chief Inspector Phil Baker, of Northumbria Police, said: "CSO Halliday should be really proud of his actions.
“He and his wife were out in the town preparing to mark their wedding anniversary and it would have been easy for him to dismiss what he had seen.
“But by picking up the phone and getting in touch with his colleagues on shift, he allowed us to bring in a suspect wanted in connection with drug possession who had kept off our radar and had evaded officers for some time.
“It fills me with pride knowing we have dedicated and professional CSOs such as Mark working with us, and I’d like to extend my thanks to him for proving our officers are always on duty – even on a special night for him personally.”
CSO Halliday, who has been with the force for nearly 12 years, admitted he was surprised when he spotted the suspect dart out of a nearby pub, having been marked as wanted for a number of months.
“I just did what anybody would have done, really,” CSO Halliday said. “The wife and I certainly had a chuckle about it – and we had a lovely night to mark our anniversary.
“I’m pleased that it helped officers get hold of a wanted fugitive, who has since appeared before the courts and been dealt with for his crime.”
The suspect appeared before magistrates in South Tyneside the next day, on August 17, and was convicted of possessing a Class A drug after officers found him with a quantity of heroin in South Shields on October 18, 2018.
