A police officer was shot in the face while investigating an armed hold-up on the Gold Coast. Source: AAP
A GOLD Coast police officer shot in the face by an armed robbery suspect is being lauded for his bravery after returning fire to help capture his attackers.
On the same day Gold Coast detective Damian Leeding's killers were due to be sentenced, which also happened to be Police Remembrance Day, Sergeant Gary Hamrey could very well have been another fallen officer.
In dangerous, dark conditions, Sgt Hamrey and his police dog tracked down two men armed with a gun and a machete as they hid beside a garden shed after allegedly holding up the Arundel Tavern at Parkwood early on Friday morning.
As he approached, the veteran officer was shot in the face.
Despite his injuries, he and a colleague returned fire, striking the bandits in the legs and feet.
Detective Senior Constable Leeding was killed in similar circumstances at a nearby Gold Coast pub in 2011 and senior police were quick to draw comparisons.
His killers, Phillip Graeme Abell, 41, and Donna Lee McAvoy, 39, were due to be sentenced on Friday, but their case was adjourned.
Queensland Police Union acting president Shayne Maxwell said some of the first officers to respond to the Leeding shooting were at the latest incident.
"They are in shock themselves," he said.
Sgt Hamrey is expected to survive the gunshot wound to his left cheek and has been described as an "amazing man" by Assistant Police Commissioner Graham Rynders.
Mr Rynders said Sgt Hamrey was more concerned about his police dog Rush than himself as he was taken to the hospital.
The 12-month-old German Shepherd was not injured in the incident.
"He is in good spirits," Mr Rynders told reporters.
"He is an extremely brave officer and he should be commended for his duty."
Mr Rynders said Sgt Hamrey was integral in his assailants' capture and arrest after firing on them despite his wound.
The dog squad officer, whose brother and son are also policemen, will undergo surgery to clean his wound.
Mr Maxwell said police numbers on the Gold Coast were inadequate and the penalties for firearm offences must be toughened.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said operational processes, including staffing and resources, on the Gold Coast would be reviewed.
The two alleged robbers sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and feet but their injuries weren't life-threatening.
The pair was on Friday under guard at the Gold Coast Hospital and police were expected to charge them in the next day or so.
Officers uncovered a rifle, believed to be the weapon used to shoot Sgt Hamrey, from the scene late in the morning.
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