‘It’s a job I enjoy, it’s who I am…’
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
A transport police officer who survived multiple stab wounds in the London Bridge attack a year ago has said he wants to go back to work next month.
Wayne Marques, who lives in South London, was hailed a hero after fighting off terrorists Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba with just his baton, having been temporarily blinded in one eye as they lunged at him with their knives.
The officer, who is still undergoing rehabilitation, is determined to return to the job he loves. He said: “I’ve made significant progress since that night. I’m much more independent, much more able. I’m standing, I’m walking, I’m talking, I’m able to socialise again, see family and friends.”
His family still have concerns about him going back to work as a policeman, but he said: “It’s a job that I enjoy. It’s who I am, to be honest.”
He had to have a string of operations and spent three weeks in hospital – and when he was stuck on the ward, the messages of support from the public kept him going. “You’ve got this time to keep thinking about things,” he said in a video interview released by British Transport Police.
“Then you get these messages from people who have just heard about you.
“You’ve never met them and you never will, in most cases – but just genuine, heartfelt, caring messages. It wasn’t just written for the sake of writing – people felt the need to send me something or write me something.
“It makes a difference. To me anyway. I think that it showed what it meant to a lot of people.”
He has not had to buy a pint since telling his remarkable story last year.
He said: “The messages have just been awesome. I can only say thank you very much. It was both needed and appreciated.
“The public have been inspiring. You can’t deny the response the public had towards me and towards the job, to police officers since that tragedy last year.
“(It was) inspiring, it was overwhelming.
“Things like cold weather like that never really affected me before but now obviously since that night, things do affect me. But you don’t know they affect you until it happens.
“So, I’m still learning and I’m still working hard.
“So I have my plans; I have my intentions – but I sort of have to be realistic about it.”