Officers injured after man lunges at them with a knife

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Police have made an arrest following an incident in which a man with a knife lunged at officers in Co Antrim.

The PSNI said two officers were injured while responding to a disturbance in Antrim on Tuesday.

Chief Inspector David Gray said: “Police attended a report of a disturbance in the Greenvale Manor area at around 5.45pm.

“It was reported that a 38-year-old man had assaulted a man and a woman in the property.

“Once police arrived, the man continued to be aggressive towards the officers and lunged at them with a knife.

“The two officers were injured while safely detaining the man.

“The man was arrested on suspicion of numerous offences, including assault on police, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in police custody at this time.

“Thankfully on this occasion, all the officers involved felt well enough to remain on duty, but this was a frightening ordeal for officers who are simply doing their job, again highlighting the risks our officers take on a daily basis to keep communities safe.

“Assaults on our officers are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Last week the PSNI revealed that the number of assaults on police officers in the North had reached a five-year high – with more than 900 recorded attacks in less than 12 months.

The Police Federation said the figures showed it was essential that tasers are rolled out to all frontline officers.