A SECURITY guard is to be honoured after he overpowered a suspected shoplifter as she threatened to stab him with a hypodermic needle.

The guard thought nothing of his own safety as he came to the aid of a colleague. His bosses at Tesco in Chatham have now nominated the have-a-go hero for an in-store bravery award.

The drama unfolded last Wednesday when two 23-year-old women were seen acting suspiciously in Iceland in the High Street. The pair were chased along The Brook by a security guard from the store while other staff reached for their Shopsafe radio a scheme which links many of the town centre stores to ask other security guards for help.

That's when the long-serving Tesco employee sprung into action. The chase ended in Slicketts Hill, next to Tesco, when the two guards caught the women and called for police assistance.

But while they were waiting for help to come, one of the women threatened the guard with a used hypodermic needle which she had in one of her pockets.

Instead of backing off, the courageous guard, who doesn't want to be named, managed to overpower her. The pair were detained until police officers arrived and arrested them.

A spokesman for Tesco said: "This incident demonstrates the effectiveness of the Shopsafe facility and shows how we at Tesco are working together with other retailers in Chatham to help stamp out crime.

Sergeant Paul Anderson, of Medway Police, said: "The positive result from this incident demonstrates just how effective the Shopsafe initiative is."

• Two women, both from Chatham, have been bailed pending further inquires.