A former West Mercia PC will be featured in the opening episode of the second series of Channel 5’s Police Code Zero: Officer Under Attack next Wednesday (19 August) after being cut in an incident in Bromyard during which his assailant also slashed at his own neck seemingly intent on seriously harming anyone in his path.

Due to his involvement in the incident, Mike Davey, who retired in February last year, was put forward – with PD Bacca - for last year’s Police Bravery Awards.

The Channel 5 programme, which aims to expose the dangerous situations officers face, will go out at 9pm and will include BWV footage of the incident.

Mike, Bacca and other officers had responded to calls about a man smashing shop windows in Bromyard and acting in a violent and unpredictable manner in the early hours of 6 June 2018. It was reported as a possible burglary attempt.

The man was in the middle of the street and, when he saw the officers, became threatening, wielding a large knife at them. None of them had Taser and the man refused to engage with Mike.  He started to furiously hack at his own neck with the knife in a clear attempt to take his life. Mike deployed Bacca to disarm him but he immediately slashed and hacked at the dog, cutting his head and ear.

Mike then used Pava spray on the man as he continued to attack Bacca, but it had no effect so he tried to take control leading to a violent struggle. The offender managed to break free and fled with Mike and Bacca running after him.

Bacca took him to the ground, where the man slashed him again and managed to break free. Bacca finally caught him and kept him detained as Mike wrestled to disarm and handcuff him.

Mike had stitches in a deep cut to his right hand while Bacca had several cuts and wounds to the head and neck, which also needed stitches.

He said he was ‘absolutely gobsmacked, chuffed and humbled’ when he found out the Federation had put him forward for the bravery awards, adding that he didn’t feel he was brave since instinct and training had just kicked in.

“The whole incident was bizarre,” said Mike, who served the Force for 24 years, “From the moment I got there it was strange. There was no conversation, the police weren’t saying anything, the criminal wasn’t saying anything. Usually you go to an incident and there is shouting and swearing but there was nothing.

“They were just opposite sides of the road and no one was saying anything. When I looked at him, I didn’t see the knife. The lads had said on the radio that he had one. If it hadn’t been such a violent situation I would have laughed when he pulled the knife out ‘Crocodile Dundee’ style.

“I didn’t feel brave, I just knew I had to do it. He had to be stopped as he was going to kill someone, himself or one of my colleagues. It was instinct and training. There was also no fight or flight, it was fight or die.

“It sounds a cliché but, yes, I would do the same given the same set of circumstances - that’s what all cops sign up for, to protect and serve, another cliché!”

• PD Bacca was last year presented with the Gold Medal Award – the canine equivalent of The George Cross - by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). The charity was impressed by his crime-fighting efforts.