Leicester Square police stabbing update: injuries thought to be non-life threatening

The two police officers who were stabbed this morning in Leicester Square have been taken to hospital and found to have non-life threatening injuries.

An investigation has begun after the two officers, one male and one female, were stabbed by a man in Shaftesbury Avenue.

At around 6am this morning officers were on patrol in the area of Leicester Square when they were made aware of a man in possession of a knife.

Metropolitan Police said officers challenged the man and “during attempts to detain him received stab injuries”. 

During the arrest, a taser was discharged and the man, believed to be in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assaulting an emergency services worker – he was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been discharged into police custody.

The injured officers, one male and one female, were rushed to hospital for treatment. Both officers’ families have been informed.

The Met have said the attack is not thought the incident is terror related and confirmed the officers were carrying out routine duties and were not part of the wider policing operation in place following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Superintendent Justin Browne from the Central West Command Unit, responsible for policing Westminster, said: “Every day, police officers got out on the streets to keep the communities of London safe.

“In doing so they often have to put themselves in the way of danger, putting their own welfare at risk in order to protect others.

“The actions of these two officers, and their colleagues, exemplifies the key value of courage that runs through the core of the Metropolitan Police and they will be offered all the support they need as they begin their recovery from this terrifying incident.”

Pictured top: Forensics officers and police at the scene in Shaftesbury Avenue, central London, where two male police officers were stabbed (Picture: PA)