Stabbed officer thanks colleagues for saving lives

THE police officer injured in a knife attack at a Glasgow hotel has thanked his colleagues for saving lives.

Constable David Whyte, 42, was one of six people injured during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street on Friday, in which a male suspect was shot and killed by police.

Three of the other people who were injured are asylum seekers, Police Scotland said, while two are members of staff.

All remain in hospital, one in a critical but stable condition, the others in a stable condition.

In a statement posted on Twitter by Police Scotland, Mr Whyte said the scene officers attending the incident were confronted with is something he will never forget.

He added: “As the first responders on scene, myself and my colleague did what all police officers are trained for, to save lives.”

The officer, who remains in a stable condition, thanked his colleagues who “put themselves in harm’s way to contain this incident and assist with the vital treatment given to myself and others at the scene by other emergency services”.

Mr Whyte added: “Despite suffering serious injuries myself, I know that the swift actions of colleagues saved lives and prevented a far more serious incident. I would like to thank the medical staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for their outstanding care in the hours following this incident.

“Finally, I would like to thank the public for all their kind messages of support and for the good wishes from all at Police Scotland. It means a lot and has brought both myself and my family great comfort at this difficult time.”

Police Scotland, which has said the attack is not being treated as terrorism, has launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward.

Following an update from Police Scotland on Saturday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “My thoughts today remain with Constable Whyte – whose bravery we are all deeply grateful for – and the other people who sustained injuries in yesterday’s terrible incident. I wish them all a full and speedy recovery.”

Meanwhile, the Mears Group, the company which has housed asylum seekers in the Park Inn Hotel for the Home Office, said it was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the tragic events.

It added: “We are contracted by the Home Office to provide housing and support services to asylum seekers in Scotland. We will not anticipate a live police investigation, but we can confirm that the attack happened in a hotel where we are housing asylum seekers during the lockdown period.

“We will provide more details as we are able to and our priority is to look after the welfare of our service users who will no doubt be traumatised by this terrible event. We also think of the staff in the hotel and our colleagues at the scene – all are in our thoughts.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said after the attack that from a “social work and a welfare point of view” it had been made clear “many times” that they do not support asylum seekers being moved to hotels.