Christchurch mosque shootings: Hero cops who stopped accused gunman revealed

Two hero cops who stopped the suspected Christchurch mosque gunman can be named for the first time today.

The pair who apprehended the alleged shooter were Senior Constable Jim Manning and Senior Constable Scott Carmody of Canterbury.

An interim name suppression order was lifted by the courts today.

They managed to ram the vehicle to a halt and arrest the suspect on March 15.

"From our perspective we were doing our job and I know our colleagues would have done the same thing in that situation," Manning and Carmody said in a joint statement issued by police.

"Our actions are reflective of who we are as police officers and as Kiwis.

"Every day when we go to work the safety of the community is our priority and that was our focus when we made that arrest on 15 March."

The moment the accused Christchurch mosque gunman was dragged from his car and arrested.

In the weeks following March 15, Manning and Carmody - who have both have worked in Canterbury District for the past 26 years - were visited by the commissioner and the Duke of Cambridge and presented with the Commissioner's Gold Merit Award.

"Such honours are very humbling but this award is for all police officers who put themselves in harm's way every day," the officers said.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said the officers' actions spoke volumes to who they are as people and as police officers.

"They put their lives at risk to stop the alleged gunman and stop further harm," he said.

"The events of 15 March were truly tragic and something we as a country have never seen before and I would hope never see again."

Police Commissioner Mike Bush, Senior Constable Jim Manning, HRH Prince William, Senior Constable Scott Carmody, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price.

Manning joined the Police in 1987 and Carmody joined in 1993.

Although name suppression has been lifted that does not change the fact that the matter is still before the courts and means that Manning and Carmody are not in a position to speak further to their actions.

The two officers were also recognised for their bravery at the annual Police Association Conference in October, with an award presented by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Police Association president Chris Cahill spent some time with both officers that weekend and describes them both as "humble guys".

But while they both say they only did what other officers would've done in the same position, Cahill says there is only one way to describe them: heroes.

"It's as simple as that," Cahill said.

"I think in the end they accepted that but they also accepted that the award wasn't just for them - they were accepting it on behalf of all the officers who went forward that day. And it's true to a degree but I don't think we can ignore the fact their bravery went above and beyond what other officers did that day."

The experienced pair put themselves in the right place to act, Cahill says, but then decided to act in the way they did was "of the utmost bravery".

"They made the call that if they didn't act now, this presented an ongoing danger. They simply acted because they felt they had to, and that epitomises bravery."