Dramatic footage of a police officer wrestling a man armed with a knife in York has been released for the first time.

The film, caught on City of York Council CCTV footage, shows the tense moment when PC Rich Farrar confronted a cyclist who had been acting suspiciously in the city centre.

PC Farrar pulled over to talk to the cyclist at about 10.50pm on September 26 last year.

It turned out that the cyclist, Dean Richard Edwards, 28, was defying a court-imposed curfew. Held against the wall, Edward lurched backwards in an attempt to escape.

PC Farrar grabbed him and they tussled on the ground – revealing a large kitchen knife that had been hidden in Edwards’ waistband.

PC Farrar managed to pin Edwards to the floor before passerby Andy Haigh, professional cage fighting judge stepped in to help.

Together they managed to restrain Edwards, and PC Farrar handcuffed him until backup arrived.

The CCTV recording of the altercation was made available by City of York Council on Monday (September 5) and will be featured on the BBC 1 police reality show Caught Red Handed on Thursday.

Both PC Farrar with the cage fighting judge Mr Haigh, who is also proficient in Thai boxing and jujitsu, will appear on the show.

Edwards was sentenced to 20 months in prison.