Violent knife attack: Police officer speaks out

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PC Mohammed Ahmed, a Leicestershire police officer, has spoken out about his fear of being assaulted again after suffering a knife attack in Leicester.

The 39-year-old officer sustained a facial wound during an incident on Beaumont Leys Lane on 22 September.

According to data obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information request, 971 officers in Leicestershire were assaulted last year, a figure that has tripled over the past five years. PC Ahmed’s case underscores the increasing danger that officers face due to rising knife crime.

Violent knife attack

PC Ahmed reflected on the incident, saying: “I was lucky that my injuries were not as bad as they could have been. I’m always thinking that this could happen again when a job comes up with a mention of a knife.”

Following the attack, PC Ahmed, who was off work for four weeks, has been nominated for a Police Bravery Award. Recalling the night of the incident, he said, “It was a normal Thursday night. A job came through reporting a man with a knife.

“He first attacked my colleague and then turned on me, punching me with the knife in his hand, which hit just below my eye and broke my nose. It’s only afterwards that the enormity hits you. We do not go to work to get assaulted, and it’s almost accepted that we’re going to get attacked by certain people.”

Chief Constable Rob Nixon commented on the troubling rise in assaults against officers, stating:

“The increase is a worrying trend, although part of the rise may be due to better recording of incidents. Any assault on an emergency service worker is totally unacceptable.

“It should never become socially acceptable or the norm. We will always pursue prosecution for those who commit offences against officers. We should never forget the bravery and sacrifice of officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public, often without receiving due credit.”

PC Niamh Harriman, 25, another Leicestershire officer, shared her own experience of being assaulted on duty. In January, she was run over by a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Dakota Henton, who has been sentenced to 52 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months.

Recounting her ordeal, PC Harriman said:

“The woman was in the driver’s seat and trying to start the car. She reversed and ran over my right foot and side. My colleagues witnessed the incident from a distance. I activated my emergency button and went to the hospital for a check-up.”

Despite suffering a sprained hip and bruising, PC Harriman returned to work after three weeks. She noted, “I feel more apprehensive about attending incidents. This is the last thing you expect to happen, but it does occur frequently in this line of work. The longer I stayed off, the more anxious I felt about returning.”

The increase in knife crime and assaults on police officers in Leicestershire highlights the pressing need for measures to protect law enforcement personnel and ensure their safety as they serve the community.

Knife crime statistics

Knife crime has been on the rise over the past few years as the latest figures show knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending December 2023 increased by 7% (49,489 offences) compared with the year ending December 2022 (46,153 offences).

Notable increases were seen in the number of robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument (up 20% compared with the previous year).

Meanwhile, police recorded “possession of article with a blade or point” offences were 1% higher in the year ending December 2023 (27,672 offences) than the year ending December 2022 (27,463 offences).

What is being done about knife crime?

Last month, the government announced it will invest a further £4 million to tackle the scourge of knife crime. The funding will see £3.5 million go into the research, development and evaluation of new technologies which can detect knives carried from a distance and handheld or body-worn systems which can be operated by individual officers.

The government has also confirmed £547,863 funding for the refit and redeployment of four vans into new mobile live facial recognition (LFR) units for the Met Police, to bolster efforts to address knife crime which is rising in the capital.

Commander Clayman, national knife crime lead at NPCC said at the time of the announcement:

“Tackling knife crime requires a range of tactics working with our partner organisations and understanding where policing can best add value.

“We welcome today’s announcement of additional investment in knife detection technology which is one of the many tools we use to keep our communities safe.”

I have been a victim of a knife attack, what should I do?

If you have unfortunately been a victim of knife crime, you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) awards compensation to those who have sustained an injury due to an act of criminal violence. However, as this is a government-run scheme there is a strict criteria you have to adhere to be successful in your claim.

By using a qualified solicitor, we can assist you in putting the best case forward to return the rightful compensation you are entitled to. We can also appeal on your behalf if we believe the offer for compensation is not as much as you should be entitled to.

We have broken down everything you need to know about claiming compensation from the CICA for a hate crime.

What is a Crime of Violence?

The CICA defines a ‘Crime of Violence’ as a crime which, by intention or recklessness, involves any of the following:

A physical attack
Any other act (or failure to act) of a violent nature which causes physical injury to a person
A threat against a person causing fear of immediate violence
Sexual assault
Arson

What is a ‘Relevant Place’?

According to the CICA, to make a successful claim, the offence must have taken place in a relevant place – which means Great Britain.

However, some further niche areas fall under the CICA’s definition. This includes a British-controlled aircraft, a British-controlled hovercraft, or a lighthouse off the coast of Great Britain.

How long do I have to make a claim?

As a general rule, the crime must have taken place within the last two years to put in a criminal injury application to the CICA. There can be exceptions to this rule if, due to exceptional circumstances, the applicant could not have applied earlier.

If an applicant was a child under the age of 18 on the date of the criminal incident, they have until they turn 20 years old to submit a claim.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police have been known to tell an individual not to put in a claim to the CICA until after a criminal investigation has concluded however this can put you in severe danger of missing the pre-imposed deadlines that have been set.

Other CICA conditions I need to adhere to:

The crime must have been reported to the police as soon as ‘reasonably practicable’
The applicant must have fully co-operated with the police
The applicant must fully cooperate with the CICA claims officer

How much compensation will I get?

The CICA calculates awards for criminal injury compensation using a tariff that contains provisions for both physical and psychological injuries.

It pays out on up to three injuries if each is so serious that they would qualify for individual awards, calculated as follows:

100% of the injury that achieves the highest compensation
30% of an injury that is worth either equal to the most serious injury or the second-highest compensation
15% of an injury that is worth either equal to the second most serious injury or the third-highest compensation

There are also additional payments for losses that may be claimed, 3 are shown below with examples:

Common awards

A fractured jaw bone resulting in ongoing problems. This would be valued at £3,500 and could rise to £6,200 if an operation had taken place.
Facial scarring causes serious disfigurement. This could be valued up to £11,000.
Injuries resulting in permanent tinnitus which is very severe can be valued at £16,500.
Loss of teeth could be valued up to £3,500
A permanent and seriously disabling psychological injury, with a potential value of up to £27,000.

Loss of earnings

If your injury has caused you to miss a significant amount of work, then you may be able to claim for loss of earnings. If you have missed work for over 28 weeks, there is the option to add a claim for lost earnings to your CICA application.

You will be paid from the 29th week onwards that you have missed work and payments will be made via statutory sick pay rates. Supporting evidence must be provided from your doctor or employer to demonstrate that you were unfit for work for the length of time mentioned above.

Special expenses

Special expenses, such as medical expenses and alterations to your household, that have arisen as a result of your injury may also be claimed for. These expenses must be reasonable and will not be available if you received them for free, e.g. through the NHS.

Police officer speaks out after suffering violent knife attack on duty