Two West Yorkshire Police officers took part in a brave battle in December last year. PC Mike Watkins and PC Tom Swift were called to deal with reports of a man wielding a large knife around his head and threatening passengers on a bus in Holbeck.
When the officers arrived at the scene shortly after 11.30pm on December 21, they saw the man sitting down in the middle of the bus. He was still brandishing the knife and the bus driver stopped the bus who at the time was training a new driver.
There were serious concerns about the passenger's safety and the drivers. PC Watkins and Swift decided they needed to act fast rather than wait for backup, as the man posed a severe threat.
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The two officers entered the bus at the front asking HQ for Taser authority. Due to the serious nature of the situation, they decided to skip waiting and ready their Tasers for use.
They calmly asked the man to stay where he was and to drop the weapon, which he refused to do. He then began swinging the knife around and moving towards the officers.
They fired their tasers but the man was wearing baggy clothing so they had 'little effect'. PC Watkins then drew his baton in an attempt to knock the knife from the man's hand and when the man saw the baton he moved back down the aisle.
PC Watkins' baton then fell from his hand, leading to the man stepping forward to pick it up. He now had a knife in one hand and the baton in the other which he swung above his head at the officers.
PC Swift then drew his own baton to hit the man whilst his colleague used pepper spray to try to subdue him. The knifeman continued to come forward and he and the officers continued the struggle off the bus, leading to the policemen having to use direct force.
The officers managed to grab both of the man's arms and pinned him to the ground, disarming him in the process. He was then put in handcuffs.
Following the incident, the man was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
West Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Brian Booth said the officers had displayed incredible courage and professionalism to protect the lives of everyone on board.
“It’s another fantastic example of West Yorkshire Police officers doing everything in their power to stop people coming to harm,” he said.
“This was a very tough assignment, and it got tougher given both Taser and the PAVA spray weren’t enough to stop this knifeman in his tracks.
“Mike and Tom had to think fast and act fast, they potentially saved lives that night, and we are extremely proud of their actions and of them as officers.”
PC Watkins and PC Swift will join colleagues from across the country in attending a reception for The National Police Bravery Awards in London later this year.
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