BRAVE police officers have been commended for disarming a mentally unstable woman stalking Southend town centre with a six-inch knife.

PC Terence Wilson, PC Gillian Parks and PC Chris Dormer received police bravery awards after bundling the woman, who was armed with a kitchen knife, to the ground in Southend High Street.

Shoppers fearing for their safety called police, after seeing the woman, who suffered from mental health issues, wandering around the busy town centre with a knife in broad daylight.

PC Wilson spotted the woman as she began approaching an elderly man with the knife.

He said: “When the call came in, all three of us got into a car and got to the scene as quickly as possible.

“It was a busy half-term day, but luckily we spotted the woman straight away.

“We could see the blade of the knife and saw the woman beginning to walk towards an old man who was doing his shopping.

“Fearing the worst, we ran up to the woman and shouted at her to drop the knife.

“Thankfully the fright of the noise caused her to drop it.

“However, she began to reach into her pocket.

“We were worried in case she had another weapon on her, so we safely apprehended her to eliminate any further risk to herself and others.”

The woman, who was later jailed for 13 weeks, later attacked two female officers in custody, leaving one with a grazed elbow and the other with scratches.

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh presented the officers with commendations, which acknowledge acts of bravery in the line of duty, preventing harm to others through their quick thinking and decisive actions.

He said: “These commendations are one of the highest awards at the very top end of policing.

“The officers’ natural modesty belies the fact that they have done something truly remarkable in terms of their bravery, decisive thinking and professionalism to receive this award.