COULD a career as police detectives await?

A brother and sister have been praised for thwarting a man who attempted to take a novelty shark’s head at Hove Lagoon in July.

Oliver and Francesca Hook grew suspicious of the man who had the great white’s head under his arm and was walking off.

They ran after him to confront him, and even started filming him.

The Bilingual Primary School pupils from Portslade shared their footage with a business at the lagoon, and it was then shared widely on Facebook.

At the time, there were also reports of vandalism and thefts from the lagoon, with a parrot disappearing from a pirate’s shoulder, a crocodile being crushed, and a gorilla being grabbed.

But after a Facebook and police appeal using Oliver and Francesca’s footage, a man came forward and said he had only taken the shark’s head as a “prank”.

He agreed to compensate the owners and told them where the shark’s head was.

The duo were presented with awards at the police’s divisional awards ceremony at the British Airways i360 yesterday.

Francesca, nine, said: “I asked him what he was doing. He told me it was his daughter who had made it. She didn’t. I told him he was a liar.”

Oliver, 11, said: “I was excited, I thought, I am going to film him while Francesca asked questions.”

Their parents Chris and Jo Hook said they were very proud of the children, who got a morning off school to receive their awards.

Chris said Oliver had come running to him to grab his mobile phone so he could film the suspect.

Their actions were also praised by Brighton Chief Superintendent Lisa Bell, who praised how smartly dressed the siblings were.

She said: “I wish some of our officers were turned out as well as you are.

“You showed absolute courage and bravery, confronting a man taking property from Hove Lagoon.

“A shark’s head is not a usual thing to be taken. They clearly recognised it was wrong.

“Not only did they confront him, they started questioning him and filming him as well.

“Eat your heart out investigators.

“It is absolutely outstanding, not just because you are young, but because there are lots of grown ups who would not have done what you did, to step forward and do the right thing.”