“I COULDN’T stop crying. It lasted for about 20 minutes’.

That’s how a Thames Valley Police officer reacted after coming face-to-face with a knife-wielder.

PC Russ Massie spoke about his experiences tackling knife crime in a week where Thames Valley Police is raising awareness of the issue as part of #OperationSceptre.

The Oxfordshire-based bobby described an incident from ten years ago where he and his colleagues faced a knifeman who had stabbed another man.

Although the man was apprehended by PC Massie and his colleagues, the intensity of the situation greatly impacted the officer.

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He said: “I remember just after he had been arrested, and he was in the cage in the back of the van, and we're waiting to go to the police station with him, we were just sorting things out.

“I remember actually getting 30 seconds to myself and making a phone call to my wife, and then leaving her a voicemail, “the big boys came, I love you. I'm so scared.”

“And what actually happened mostly it was what's called an adrenaline dump, and the adrenaline in your body when you think you're about to be hurt the adrenaline in your body comes to your major organs to protect you.

“And then once you're safe, your body relaxes a little bit.

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“And I remember my hands are shaking, and they will probably like that for about three minutes.

“Yes, I was scared, I was really scared, but it was actually the adrenaline leaving me afterwards that felt as if... I couldn't stop crying.

“It lasted for about, while the crying lasted for about 20 minutes. The shaking lasted at least three or four minutes.”

Talking about the impact the knife incident had on him, PC Massie added: “There's things about it that just don't leave you ever.

“I'm quite nervous even now if I hear there's an incident with a knife. I still do my job, I'm still professional, I'm still proud of the way that I work with the public, I'm still proud of the way that all my colleagues work with the public.

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“But when I deal with an incident I’m that little bit more wary. Once bitten twice shy.

“I'm still nervous with it so please bear in mind if you see us out and about, just have a little think about what we've been through.

“It’s just a uniform. It's not a force field.”

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