Dramatic footage has been released showing the moment a group of off-duty police officers intervened to stop a knife attack in south London on 21 July 2023.

The officers were socialising in a bar nearby when they noticed a violent argument between two men, one of them holding a large knife.

The plain-clothed team can be seen rushing to separate the victim from the attacker, who threw the knife at the officers and tried to run away, but was rapidly arrested.

“They placed themselves at real risk of serious injury in order to prevent serious harm,” Detective Inspector Jon Summers said, describing the officers’ action as heroic and “nothing short of exceptional”.

The victim received first aid and was taken to hospital for treatment for a head injury. The attacker, Joseph Jimenez, 20, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for possession of a bladed article and four months in prison for affray.