Strathclyde Police chief constable is Willie Rae

Martin Devlin, 38, from Glasgow, was stabbed in the neck during an operation to thwart robberies in Ibrox. He retired on medical grounds.

Mr Devlin said it was Chief Constable Willie Rae's duty to take reasonable care for his safety.

Strathclyde Police are contesting the action at the Court of Session.

On 25 October, 2003, Mr Devlin was stabbed in the base of the neck as he tried to arrest a man who had stabbed a 21-year-old man in the stomach.

The former constable said he suffered post traumatic stress, anxiety and depression after the incident.

Risk assessment

Mr Devlin said it was the chief constable's duty to take reasonable care for his safety and to avoid exposing him to unnecessary risk.

He also claimed it was his duty to provide a safe work system, including providing adequate resources.

The former constable maintains that any reasonable risk assessment would have concluded that the operation should not have been carried out that evening because of the resources available and the risks involved.

The chief constable said it was Mr Devlin's duty as a serving police officer to investigate the robberies and arrest those responsible.

He said the officers who took part in the operation were fully briefed before deployment and a risk assessment was part of the briefing.

The police were wearing civilian jackets over their uniforms and body armour.

Mr Devlin's claim against the force includes loss of wages and pension benefits.