A FORMER Dudley PCSO has been praised by firefighters for her swift action in detaining a man who threatened them with an imitation gun.

Fire crews were called to Gregory Avenue, Weoley Castle, at 7pm last night (Wednesday, August 30) after smoke was seen billowing from an electricity supply box.

The mains cable was traced to a terraced home where electricity was found to have been illegally abstracted to power a 300-plant cannabis factory.

As fire crews worked to make the property safe, a man walked past and pointed a handgun at two of the crew members.

Luckily, PCSO Hannah Moseley was passing on her beat patrols and moved in to detain him until her colleagues arrived at the scene to make an arrest.

A 20-year-old man remains in police custody today (Thursday, August 31), on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Hannah, who has been a PCSO with West Midlands Police for 10 years and previously served communities in Dudley, said when she arrived at the scene, one of the firefighters pointed out a man and told her he had pointed a gun at them.

“They felt it was an imitation – but some of these fake guns look like the real thing and can be very scary for people,” she said.

“I knew a response car would be a few minutes arriving and didn’t want the bloke to get away…so I went after him, grabbed his arm and told him you’re not bringing a gun on my patch.

“He could see I was really angry – I think he was a bit shocked – and I kept hold of him until back-up arrived to arrest him.

“I can’t believe anyone would point a gun, real or otherwise, at fire or ambulance crews: these are people who are here to protect and save lives.”

Lee Baker, station commander at Northfield Community Fire Station, added: "We're very grateful to PCSO Moseley and colleagues for their support at this incident and prompt arrest of a suspect.

"Cannabis factories can be complex and dangerous for our crews, so then also being faced with a man with a fake gun is beyond words. "Any threat to, or attack upon, our fire-fighters is one too many and will not be tolerated. As in this case, we will work closely with West Midlands Police to bring culprits to justice."

Birmingham Police Inspector Lee Trinder has also praised Hannah’s actions.

He said: “Hannah’s hugely passionate about her job and the communities she serves – I’m not surprised by her actions, it’s in her nature to do the right thing, but she still deserves lots of credit for her bravery.

“She’s a real credit to the team…not just last night but on every shift.”

Police enquiries are on-going into the cannabis factory.