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AN ARMED police officer let himself be stabbed repeatedly rather than draw his pistol and shoot the attacker.

The firearms specialist kept his gun holstered during the horrific attack

in Edinburgh city centre to save bystanders from being hit by a stray bullet.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins revealed the details to MSPs at Holyrood yesterday as part of a Police Scotland strategy to quell fears over armed officers routinely patrolling the streets.

Two armed officers on routine patrol had been alerted by a member of the public who saw a man with blood running down his face on a bench near the bottom of The Mound last July.

Higgins said: “One of my officers was stabbed four times. Despite suffering

a frenzied attack, both officers still used their professional assessment

and their judgment.

“In my view, they would have been justified in using their conventional weapon against that individual – but they didn’t.

“They brought him under control and they subdued him by other means.

“Even under the most intense attack, the training these officers received allowed them to make an assessment and they realised they could not go to their conventional weapon.

“If nothing else, it assured me first of all of the courage of the officers and their utmost professionalism even in the most intensive circumstances.”

The attacker was said to have been acting strangely and punching himself in the head.

(Image: Andrew Milligan/PA)

Police eventually used a Taser stun-gun to subdue him on Princes Street.

The injured officer was stabbed in the shoulder, Higgins revealed during a meeting of a Holyrood justice sub-committee.

MSPs reminded the senior officer that not all decisions to deploy firearms have been welcomed.

Four armed officers ordered a 91-year-old from his car at gunpoint after stopping him on the A9 near Inverness in 2013.

They lowered their weapons when they realised he didn’t pose a threat.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Stephen House was criticised two weeks ago when it emerged armed officers attended more than 16,000 routine incidents since October.

Higgins said it would be unreasonable for the specialist officers to ignore potential crimes unfolding before them.

The assistant chief constable revealed that in total, Police Scotland had received more than 5000 complaints since May, ranging from incivility to use of excessive force.

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