Four police officers filmed on CCTV scrambling for lives as knifeman stabs at them

Four brave police officers who were ambushed by a knifeman as they responded to a fake 999 call have spoken out about the every day dangers they face in the line of duty.

University drop-out Alex Traykov, 20, lashed out with a large kitchen knife after the police constables arrived to investigate a report of a fight at a house In Islington, north London.

Jurors in his Old Bailey trial saw harrowing CCTV footage of the attack that lasted 30 seconds and ended with Traykov being brought down with a Taser.

The defendant was found guilty of three charges of wounding with intent and one of attempted wounding with intent.

Afterwards, PC Ben Thomson, 40, said: ‘This has been the most stressful period in my life, both personally and for my family.

‘I joined this job to protect people and uphold the law. My colleagues and I did our duty on that night, and we were subjected to an unprovoked savage attack at the hands of the defendant.

‘We all suffered injury as a result, but fortunately we were able to fight back and ultimately we survived, and our physical injuries have or will heal over time.

‘Who can say how we have been injured mentally and whether we will ever come to terms with what we experienced.’

PC Launa Watkins, 39, said: ‘I have never been subjected to such a violent and determined attack in the entirety of my 16 years of service, and I hope that no other officer ever has to endure such gratuitous violence.

‘Luckily that night myself and my colleagues were determined to never give up and to stay alive and fight, despite us all suffering injuries at the hands of this individual.’

Pc Rafal Kedziora, 34, said: ‘We experience traumatic events daily, and are frequently placed in dangerous situations, which yes is part of the job, and accept that; we run towards danger and not away from it.

‘I and my colleagues came to work that evening to protect and serve the community, I have been left with life-changing injuries that my family and I are continuing to come to terms with, and the mental scars may never heal.’

Pc Istarlin Said-Ali, 31, said: ‘These past six months have been a roller coaster of emotions, and stress and pain for me, my family, my colleagues and the wider team I work with.

‘I joined this job knowing the risks that comes with it however I never thought I would ever come close to death like I did on that night, and no level of training could have prepared us for what we had to endure.

‘Although we are police officers, we are human beings just like the communities we serve.

‘We should be able to go to work and do the job we have chosen to do without a fear of not going home to our loved ones at the end of our shift.

‘It is my hope that justice will be served and I hope this can stand in some way as a line drawn in the sand.

‘I hope it serves to make any person thinking of using a knife against another person to consider the consequences, including those to their own families and friends, understanding that if they do, they will be dealt with robustly and that the judicial process will seek the harshest sentence tariff in order to protect police officers and the law abiding public.’

The Metropolitan Police officers relived their experiences in court and sat near the dock as Traykov, of Redhill, Surrey, was convicted.

The Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Kate Stannard, said that the case highlighted the ‘very real real risk’ police face.