Police who negotiated with a man in Falmouth after he allegedly threatened to shoot an officer have been praised for their bravery.

Ian Drummond-Smith, chief inspector for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, commended officers following a standoff at Falmouth’s North Quay in the early hours of Sunday morning, as a man who had allegedly threatened to shoot a police officer then barricaded himself in a fishing boat.

Fire, ambulance, coastguard and RNLI personnel were called also after a man allegedly threatened to jump off the boat with an anchor around his neck, or to set fire to it, allegedly claiming to have doused himself and the vessel in petrol.

Chief inspector Drummond-Smith said: “It shows the danger that these officers across Cornwall face on a daily basis; 13 officers went to the incident knowing the threat level.

“It highlights the bravery of them, and in particular the two officers who spent one hour and 20 minutes dealing with the man did a superb job.”

There is still a degree of confusion over how the drama first began to unfold.

The police said they were first contacted by the ambulance service at 2.10am, after they received a call from the man allegedly threatening to shoot an officer, while the ambulance service said they were called just after 2am by a member of the public.

The caller reported a man who seemed ill outside Trago Mills, and when a crew arrived the man became aggressive and police were called.

The man was tracked down to the boat at around 3.15am, after police had found an abandoned, decommissioned shotgun in Arwenack Avenue.

Residents were left blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding outside their bedroom windows, however, with many saying they slept through the whole incident.

A police spokesperson said: “After protracted negotiations, the male surrendered to police at 4.39am. He was then taken to Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske for treatment and criminal offences will be dealt with by the police in due course.”

Chief Inspector Drummond-Smith added: “This was a serious incident but the four emergency services pulled together and worked together as one team to resolve the situation.”

Falmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, which stood by in case the man carried out his threat to jump overboard, said: “Although the fire arm was not aimed at officers, it’s worth noting the bravery showed by the police given the circumstances of the incident and the threat the person posed to himself.”

n A 42-year-old man was arrested at 4pm on Monday (January 19) on suspicion of assault by beating and threat to damage property. He was given bail until March 25, pending further inquiries.

However, as a result of breaking previous bail conditions, given by Truro magistrates on December 17 last year, he has now been remanded in custody by Bodmin magistrates.