Stabbed policemen undergo surgery

Forensics officers at work at the scene of the attacks in Kingsbury, London (Reuters)

Three police officers underwent surgery yesterday after being stabbed by a man with a foot-long butcher's knife.

The families of the men, who were injured at the end of a chase in and out of shops in Kingsbury, north-west London, on Saturday morning, were at their bedsides.

One officer was stabbed in the stomach, a second was stabbed in the leg and a third had head injuries and was stabbed in the arm. A fourth officer, who suffered a broken hand, was sent home from hospital after treatment.

A senior officer yesterday paid tribute to the "enormous bravery" of the men who were injured and their colleagues.

"We all owe a huge debt to the officers who put the safety of members of the public over and above their own," said Chief Superintendent Dal Babu.

The incident began when officers were called to a disturbance. They tried to speak to a man who then ran off, threw a brick at a police car and went into several shops before grabbing a knife from Kingsbury Halal Butchers.

The shop owner, Mohammad Qasim, said a man demanded: "Give me a chopper." When staff refused to hand one over, he grabbed a knife then stabbed the officers when they entered the shop to arrest him.

A 32-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder.