An off-duty Metropolitan Police officer who courageously confronted burglars and was attacked with a machete has received a London Police Bravery Award.
On Saturday 2 November 2024, PC Darren Attwood was off-duty and shopping with his wife in Luton town centre when he saw two young men acting suspiciously.
It later emerged that the men had just committed a robbery.
PC Attwood recalled: “There was a chap who went past on a moped, and it just didn't look right – it was a pedestrianised area. He then went and picked another chap up, so they went back past me.
“They were wearing flip flops and no helmets, it just looked wrong. I said to my wife: ‘I'm just going to go and have a look’. I walked up to them and casually said, ‘What are you doing, lads? Whatever you're doing, just stop it, it's not worth it’.
“Then the guy on the left-hand side said, ‘Just kill him, fam’, and the guy on the right-hand side pulled a machete out. It was at that point I thought: ‘It’s a bit too late to run away. I'm in too deep now, I need to do something’.”
It was a busy Saturday lunchtime, and members of the public, including children, were milling around. PC Attwood knew he needed to stop the men before they injured anyone, so he put his hand on the moped.
Suddenly both men came towards the officer and started slashing him with the machete; PC Attwood was wearing a denim shirt with no PPE, and they slashed him several times on the arm and the waist.
He then saw a large plastic barrier and dragged it in front of him to try to stop the men, but one of them managed to reach out and stab the officer in the chest, before driving off.
PC Attwood saw blood running down his chest and called 999. He said: “They were there in two minutes. It was lovely to hear sirens coming from everywhere.”
The ambulance was first on the scene, and paramedics carried out first aid before taking PC Attwood to hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
The police tracked down the suspects and arrested them. The pair later appeared in court and admitted assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery, possession of a bladed article in a public place, and dangerous driving.
They were jailed for seven years each at Luton Crown Court, and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley hailed PC Attwood's bravery.
PC Attwood also received a High Sheriff’s Award.
PC Attwood said: “Probably the whole incident, from start to finish, was less than a minute, and it changed my life, really. Nobody expects to go into town and not come home. All I know is that I've just stopped two people from injuring a lot of other people, possibly, and going on to commit more offences.”
When he heard he’d won a London Police Bravery Award, PC Attwood said: “There's never any good news about police officers, so to be recognised for this is really humbling.”
Metropolitan Police Federation Chair Paula Dodds said: “What an incredibly brave colleague Darren is. Children were nearby in this busy public area where the two young men were armed with a machete.
“Darren acted with immense bravery and a drive to protect the public, and risked his life in the process. We are very proud of his huge commitment to policing.
“He is a very deserving winner of a London Police Bravery Award.”
PC Attwood will attend the London Police Bravery Awards 2026 on Thursday 26 March.
At the event three overall winners will be announced, and they will attend the National Police Federation Bravery Awards in July.
The Gold sponsors of the London Police Bravery Awards are Police Friendly & Metfriendly, Axon, and Officer Insurance Cover, by Everywhen.
The Silver sponsors are Slater and Gordon Lawyers and JMW Solicitors; and the Bronze sponsors are Police Mortgages, Serve and Protect Credit Union, Accord, THB Solicitors, the National Police Healthcare Scheme, Uniform Mortgages, Addept, No1 CopperPot Credit Union, No5 Chambers, Blackfords and Penningtons Manches Cooper.
