The police are a tough bunch who do a dangerous job.

But that doesn't mean they don't make embarrassing cock-ups every now and then like the rest of us.

Last Sunday (October 1) at about 6pm, Bromley police were called to reports of a disturbance in a flat in Homesdale Road, Bromley.

The address was on the fifth floor of the block of flats.

The officers had a decision to make: they could walk up the stairs or they could take the lift.

Five of the officers took the lift.

Once they were inside and on their way to the flat, the lift promptly broke down.

The rescuers were suddenly in need of rescuing.

The London Fire Brigade was called in to help release the trapped law enforcers.

As the officers waited to be freed an elderly resident noticed there were people stuck in the lift.

She did not, however, realise who the stricken lift users were.

The woman told the officers not to panic as there were lots of police cars on the street outside. She told them she would go and find an officer to help.

The fire brigade turned up and released the officers.

Luckily, the police who used the stairs visited the flat to deal with the emergency and it turned out to be a false alarm.

The incident was quickly named 'LiftGate' in the police station.

LiftGate would have remained a police in-joke but PC Matt Lockie decided to Tweet about it.

The trapped officers included a section sergeant and duty officer and so he is expecting some repercussions.