Police officer evacuating café in Streatham attack asked to wait 30 minutes for customers to finish food

'Just give us half an hour, people are just starting to eat'

A cafe worker was asked a police officer to delay an evacuation following the Streatham terror attack because “people are just starting to eat”.

An armed Metropolitan Police officer was filmed entering the cafe and announcing to the diners inside: “Sorry guys, you’re going to have to close, we’ve got to evacuate I’m afraid.

“There’s been a terrorist incident down there. We are closing everything down. If you guys want to stay safe you will listen to me.”

Off camera, a woman can be heard saying: “Just give us half an hour, people are just starting to eat.”

The officer replied: “Madam, a terrorist has been shot dead down there.

“They’ve got a possible IED vest on them, which is a bomb. If you want to stay open for half an hour and you want to put people’s lives in danger, be my guest."

He added: “Please listen to me and please make your way out of the shop, turning that way and making you way out of the area."

Customers are then seen picking up their belongings and following the officer towards to the exit.

The exchange has drawn mixed reactions on social media, where it was posted on Twitter and watched 2.9 million times.

Some people praised the officer for his patience with the staff during a stressful situation.

One user wrote: "“This is why I have complete respect for the emergency services. One moment they’re dealing with a terrorist incident and the very next they are dealing with complete bell-ends like the woman who wants half an hour to figure it out. They don’t get paid enough for either scenario.”

Others said the cafe worker “deserves a tip”.

“To be fair her commitment to customer service is on another level,” one Twitter user wrote, while another said: “The best of British – no problems here – we always have to finish our cup of tea and coffee before anything.”

Two people were stabbed by convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman before he was shot dead by police during the attack on Streatham High Road on Sunday.​

A man who was stabbed in the attack is in a serious but stable condition, while the other victim, a woman, has been discharged from hospital.

Amman, 20, was recently released from prison after serving half his sentence of three years and four months for disseminating terrorist material and collecting information for terror attacks in December 2018.