Man held over officer stabbing

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Scotland Yard said the officer, aged 39, was stabbed in the arm and thumb while patrolling in a marked police van in central London.

The officer, who was wearing a stab-proof vest at the time of the attack, has been treated and released from hospital. The suspect is being held at a central London police station.

One witness described a man approaching the driver's side of the police van while it was stuck in traffic close to Victoria Station.

Tracey Harmer, an assistant manager at a nearby store, said the attack was over in seconds.

She said: "The van was stationary in traffic and he (the attacker) caught up with the driver's side window. He put his arm up and the next minute he looked like he was punching the driver, but it turned out he was stabbing him.

"I shouted out 'Oh my God, the policeman's getting attacked'. We looked out and then the man was running off towards the cathedral with a policeman chasing him."

Receptionist Renuka Singh, 24, who works in a Victoria Street office block, said she saw the officer being treated by paramedics on the pavement. She said a female officer was attending to her injured colleague as he lay on the ground outside a branch of Lloyds Bank.

The attack took place just before 10am in Victoria Street, close to its junction with Bressenden Place.

Public service union Unison called for all PCSOs to be given stab vests. Ben Priestley, of Unison, said: "This incident shows that the work of PCSOs can be dangerous and reinforces the need for all forces in England and Wales to provide their PCSOs with protective equipment, including stab vests."