Two police officers who tackled and subsequently saved the life of a man who had stabbed himself in the stomach are to receive national awards for their bravery.
St Albans police officers DC Wendy Machan and PC Shaun Woods had been interviewing a man at a house in May when another man ran into the kitchen.
Concerned about the man’s behaviour, DC Machan followed him into the kitchen of the house in Drakes Drive, St Albans, where she found that he had sunk an eight inch knife into his midriff.
She then grabbed the man and tried to seize his knife before PC Woods used Pava spray in an attempt to subdue him.
When that failed, PC Woods managed to grab the knife and throw it out of reach before the pair applied cloths to the wound to stem the bleeding and an air ambulance was scrambled.
The officers are each set to receive a Testimonial on Vellum from the Royal Humane Society signed and approved by Princess Alexandra, the society’s president.
Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “This was a horrific incident and these two officers were confronted with a man who had already stabbed himself.
“There was no knowing what he would do but they tackled him and managed to disarm him.
“It takes enormous courage to confront someone armed with a knife with an eight inch blade – anything could have happened.”
No date has yet been fixed for the presentation of the awards but it is expected to take place in the near future.
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