Police found man stabbing himself after breaking down door

POLICE officers discovered a man repeatedly stabbing himself with a six-inch kitchen knife after breaking down his bathroom door.

The two officers had responded to a call on September 26 last year, which had raised concerns about the welfare of a man with mental health issues.

Officers had been told the man had said he wanted to kill himself, and when officers went to his address in Sketty, Swansea, they found him “deeply distressed”, positioned behind a locked bathroom door at the property, armed with a knife.

After initially attempting to talk to the man and encouraging him to let them inside, but believing there to be an immediate threat to his life, the officers broke down the door to discover the man stabbing himself repeatedly in the torso with the knife.

One officer discharged his Taser twice as both he and his colleague struggled to restrain the 22-year-old.

But once he was under control, the officers applied pressure to the most serious stab wounds while continually reassuring him until paramedics arrived and treated the wounds.

The actions of the two South Wales Police officers has seen them commended by an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

IOPC director for Wales Catrin Evans said: “The two officers acted with considerable courage in preventing the man, who was in crisis, from causing himself further harm.

“Body-worn video shows that during the struggle in the confines of a cramped bathroom, one of the officers reached for the knife, at significant risk to their own safety.

“The officers were calm and controlled and treated the man with compassion throughout the incident. We found they used only reasonable force to conclude a very stressful, dynamic situation.”

The investigation concluded it believed the man has since made a good physical recovery from his injuries after treatment in hospital.

The IOPC has provided its findings to South Wales Police, suggesting the two officers are commended for their actions.

Chief Superintendent Joanna Maal said: “I support the IOPCs findings and praise our officers, who dealt with a very difficult situation with professionalism and compassion.

“The circumstances they were faced with were extreme, and in my opinion the officers made life-saving interventions.

“I fully endorse the suggestion that they be commended for their actions.”