PCs awarded for tackling knife-wielding attackers

PC Darren Attwood was off duty and shopping with his wife in Luton town centre. It was an ordinary Saturday afternoon - until he found himself trying to fend off two men armed with machetes.

It was November 2024, and the area was busy with families and children. Attwood felt he had to do something.

He'd spotted the pair earlier, acting suspiciously on a moped in a pedestrianised area, and thought something wasn't right.

"I just sort of said: 'Look lads, whatever you're doing, just stop it, it's not worth it, I'm a police officer.

"And then one guy said: 'Just kill him, fam,' and the second guy just pulled his machete out."

Attwood is among the winners being recognised tonight at London Police Bravery Awards.

The ceremony, which takes place this evening, was launched last year by the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers.

CCTV shows the men coming towards Attwood, who had no protective kit, and slashing him several times, as he tried to drag a large plastic barrier in front of them to try to ward them off.

One of them stabbed the officer in the chest before driving off.

"If you've ever been punched, it's a very similar feeling," said Attwood.

Not realising the extent of his injuries at first, he said he was reluctant to go hospital.

"Paramedics came over and said: 'Who's the victim?'

"I said 'me'.

"She said: 'Well, who's the police officer?'

"'Also me.'"

Also being recognised is PC Jack Taylor, who was stabbed while tackling a burglary suspect in Tower Hamlets May 2023.

Taylor and his colleagues had been called to a property where they found a man who'd been assaulted, and then spotted the suspect outside.

He gave chase but suddenly the man pulled out a knife.

"It was really scary. I've never been involved in any kind of situation like that before.

"I think I made an action to try and grab the knife, he swung the knife around multiple times, and hit my left wrist just below an artery."

Realising that the man was still armed, Taylor continued the chase, backed by a female officer who tried to Taser the suspect.

"I feel like the adrenaline kicked in.

"He was still running around with a knife which was a danger to other people. If he was going to use a knife on me, in my mind there's no hesitation that he's going to use it on a member of the public or a colleague and I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

The officers managed to corner and get handcuffs on him.

"It wasn't until that moment, as I was handcuffing him, the blood was pouring, so I realised I had a more serious injury than maybe I first thought."

Taylor was treated in hospital, but went back to work the next day.

The suspect was later sectioned.

The officer, who has already received a Commissioner's Commendation for his actions, says he "feels immensely proud to be recognised" at the London Bravery Awards.

"I guess I'm not someone to flag or show myself off, but it does feel really nice to be recognised in that way."

Metropolitan Police Federation chair Paula Dodds paid tribute to both officers.

"Darren acted with immense bravery and a drive to protect the public, and risked his life in the process."

She also described Taylor as "a courageous officer."

"Let's remember that despite the serious injuries inflicted, he still gave chase and helped catch the culprit."

Attwood is also pleased to be recognised for his bravery, but said he'd faced criticism on social media.

"'Why did you step in the way? Why didn't you just let them go?'

"And I couldn't let them go. They were committing a crime. You know when something's not right, and somebody's just been robbed, and it's not right."

He questioned why some passersby had filmed the incident on their phones, instead of stepping in.

"I just think that the world currently just needs more people prepared to maybe stand up and be counted. But the kind of the world that we're in is like 'Let's have a mobile phone and let's video it'."

The men who attacked Attwood, brothers Hannan Mahmood, 20, and Humar Mahmood, 19, admitted assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and dangerous driving.

They were jailed for seven years each at Luton Crown Court in June 2025.

Attwood's actions were praised by the judge, who gave him a High Sheriff's Award.

Attwood said the emotional and mental impact of the attack had been more challenging than recovering from his physical injuries.

He described the difficulty of breaking the news to his children and how counselling had helped him.

"One of the counsellors gave me a colouring book, and he said, 'whenever you're having issues just start colouring.' I thought, I'm 56 years of age, what on earth am I doing that for? But it so worked."

He said it also helped to be paired with a counsellor who himself had an experience of being attacked with a knife, allowing him to talk to someone with "a common connection".

His experience inspired him to become a trained trauma counsellor for the Met Police so he can support others.

Attwood said he'd been able to return to the scene of the attack, when he wanted to attend a Remembrance Sunday ceremony nearby.

"My wife was like, 'Why would you want to go back there?' I said, 'I just need to'. And I've never missed a Remembrance Sunday and I wasn't going to miss it."

He said the incident would never leave him, but he has techniques to help.

"It's never going to go away. You just have to deal with it and the triggers will always be there.

"It's horrible. But you put a uniform on, you step up, you do what's best."

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