Horrendous Hainault sword attack once again highlights bravery of our police officers as they tackle danger head on.

This was not a day to thank senior leaders for turning up at the scene, but a day to thank those who rushed in and will keep rushing into dangerous situations to protect our communities.

Those who frequently tell police officers how to do their job as expert armchair warriors will today be somewhat less vocal. The shocking social media footage captured from yesterday’s brutal attack shows the suspect armed with a sword ready to strike. Yet, officers faced him head on with very little protection. These officers ran to a scene wearing protection vests, and armed with nothing but a baton or some with a taser. There were no armed response officers here, these were are frontline officers who face the most amount of abuse on our streets daily. Here they were once again, tackling a very dangerous individual who sadly took the life a 14 year old boy and injured four others.

The final moments of this much documents 22 minutes on social media shows an officer very calmly approaching the suspect with a taser in her hand and firing at him to get him to the ground. From there, numerous officers then apprehend this individual and arrest him. The officer did her job. How many of us would be able to do what she did? She faced a man who had clearly chosen to do a great deal of harm with that sword and wreaked havoc across numerous streets on a Tuesday morning. She had no time to think of her safety, she focused on removing this man from the area where he had caused multiple offences and she did just that.

These officers have very little protection, hence why two were injured yesterday and now require surgery.Everyday officers across the country face situations where their life is at risk, yet everyday they choose to do their job and keep communities safe to the best of their ability. Yesterday’s awful and tragic events once again highlighted just how brave our frontline officers are. If that taser had not fired as it should have done, that officer could have potentially lost her life. Fortunately it did and she went in with incredible bravery knowing she had to remove this man from causing further harm. For those possibly shaking their heads stating ‘it is their job’, yes it is which clearly means they do a life saving job. Perhaps remember that the next time you see an officer and what to hurl abuse.

There are many who firmly believe they can do an officer’s job better than those who wear the uniform, it is interesting to know if you could have dealt with this situation any differently then. Would you rush in and face a man armed with sword?

These officers do their job because they want to make a difference in our community and they do every time they put that uniform on. This was not a day to thank senior leaders for turning up at the scene, but a day to thank those who rushed in and will keep rushing into dangerous situations to protect our communities. You put your lives on the line for us and for that we thank you………..

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