BTP officer stabbed at Manchester Victoria

A British Transport Police sergeant was hospitalised on New Year’s Eve following a knife incident at Manchester Victoria.

Sergeant Lee Valentine and three other BTP officers were the first at the scene of the attack, carried out by a 25-year-old man who was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act. A counterterrorism investigation remains ongoing.

The incident happened just before 2100, and a middle-aged couple were among those also wounded in the attack.

Valentine said: “We had no idea what we were running towards when we heard the screams on New Year’s Eve. When we saw the man wielding a knife, instinct took over and we were able to, in company with Travel Safe Officers from Metrolink, successfully detain the male.”

BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “While this incident is an example of policing at its finest, it also serves as a dark reminder of policing at its most dangerous. In their efforts to detain the suspect, one of our officers suffered a stab injury to his shoulder.

“I have met with the officer today, along with his colleagues, and I am both humbled and full of admiration at their tenacity and dedication.”