Off-duty officer from Newark wins Nottinghamshire Police’s Pc Ged Walker Award for tackling knife wielding thief in Arnold

A Newark police officer who tackled a knife-wielding shoplifter while off duty has been presented with a bravery award, writes Amelie Wood-Williams.

Sgt Rishi Thobhani has been awarded the PC Ged Walker award at the Nottinghamshire Police Force Awards, held on June 30, after he tackled shoplifter Michael Delaney, who was known for intimidating staff with threats of violence and had just stolen a number of items from the Poundland store in Arnold.

Despite the offender producing a knife and threatening to stab him, Sgt Rishi Thobhani — a constable at the time of the incident in May 2024 — was able to pull the knife that was only a few centimetres away from his face away, and detain Delaney, who was later jailed for 18 months.

The award is named in memory of PC Ged Walker who was killed on duty in 2003, after sustaining serious head injuries when attempting to detain an offender.

Sgt Thobhani was nominated by Sgt Wayne Tear, who said his “unwavering commitment to public safety, bravery and professionalism during the high-risk encounter” deserved recognition, and that his actions “exemplify the high standards of Nottinghamshire police officers”.

Sgt Thobhani felt “proud” to win the accolade, and said: “As the incident unfolded, all I could think about was the need to take the knife off him.

“He was trying to kill me and so I needed to protect myself and the public.

“Whether you’re on-duty or off-duty, whether you’re wearing the police uniform or not, it is your duty as a police officer to protect the public.

“I joined the police to do just that, so if this incident was to happen again, I’d do the same thing all over again.”