Time gentlemen please!

Dramatic footage captured the moment a group of off-duty police officers tackled a knife-wielding thug after they left their drinks behind in a nearby bar.

The officers from the Gangs & Pro-Active Team in the Central South Command Unit were enjoying a pint at Four Quarters near Elephant and Castle tube station when a fight broke out nearby.

The clip shows a man, who had been hit over the head, cowering on the ground as Joseph Jimenez, 20, towers over him and slashed at him with a large knife on 21 July 2023.

The officers left their drinks of the bar and ran out to save the victim and arrest Jimenez in Elephant Park.

The victim was taken to hospital and treated for a head injury but fortunately it was not serious.

Jimenez, of Dalston, north London, was charged the following day and remanded in custody.

He admitted possession of a bladed article and affray and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment at a Young Offenders’ Institute at Croydon Crown Court.

Detective Inspector Jon Summers said: ‘The team had finished a long, hard week at work and were enjoying some well-earned down time together when the events unfolded.

‘They had been off-duty and were without any form of protective equipment such as batons or PAVA spray, or a police radio.

‘Still they intervened, working tactically together in coordinating their approach to close off the suspect’s possible escape route, and swiftly arrested him.

‘The heroism shown by these officers is nothing short of exceptional.

‘They are a credit to themselves, the unit and Metropolitan Police Service as a whole.’

Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, lead for policing in Southwark and Lambeth, added: ‘On seeing the spontaneous intervention of the off duty officers all other protagonists fled the scene and a large scale public disorder incident was averted.

‘We are incredibly proud of them.’