A team of police officers who responded when two staff were stabbed multiple times at a secure mental health centre have been honoured for their bravery.

The nine officers were called to the Bracton Centre in Dartford after patient Myha Grant stabbed health care assistant Julius Falomo 17 times and nurse Francis Barrett six times.

Grant went on to light a fire in a communal area and burned his blood-stained clothes and the knife. The fire’s smoke trapped another staff member. The windows were smashed and she was dragged to safety.

Now, Special Sergeant Peter Stafford, Special Constables Katherine Delaney and Callum Marsh, Sergeants Kurt Bowen and Robert Sweetland and PCs Andrew Hill, Bharminder Bains, Harry Weeks and Timothy Mottram have all received a Chief Constable’s Commendation.

The officers responded to the incident at the centre, which is run by the Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, on July 17, 2016. Grant, a 31-year-old paranoid schizophrenic who also had a £60 a day skunk cannabis habit and used the drug Spice, thought the staff had ‘dissed’ him and attacked them with a knife being used to prepare dinner.

Grant was being held at the centre after a random attack in Brixton, South London, where he smashed a champagne bottle over a man’s head, deeply cutting him and, among other injuries, knocking out a tooth.

Volunteer police from the special constabulary were first on the scene and provided first aid to the victims.

Their actions, alongside those of their police colleagues, have been credited for not only saving the wounded people’s lives, but protecting more than 20 others.

Armed police arrived soon after and were able to detain Grant.

Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said: “This was a dangerous, stressful and fast-moving incident which could have ended in tragic consequences had officers not displayed outstanding bravery and exceptional professionalism in order to save and protect life.

“The officers are therefore commended for acting in the finest traditions of the police service, risking their own safety to ensure that of others.”

Grant – who pleaded guilty to two charges of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH), arson, and a separate GBH in Brixton – was sentenced in February.

He will be kept in hospital under the Mental Health Act but if his condition improves he will have to serve a 16-year jail sentence and be on licence for a further three years under an extended sentence.

Julius Falomo was also given an award for "exceptional bravery" for helping to save Francis Barrett's life.

Also receiving a Chief Constable’s Commendation was Sergeant David Curtis and PCs Mit Kahlon and John Clarke in recognition of their outstanding work and professionalism when responding to an incident at Gravesend Pier on July 4, 2016 where a man with a knife was threatening to harm himself.

He also claimed to have a hand gun.

He was seen to run up and down the pier and at the water’s edge tied a rope around his neck.

Despite the threats made by the man, the officers rushed to his aid.

They found him unconscious with the rope tied tightly around his neck.

PC Clarke used the knife to cut the rope without causing any injury and the officers administered first aid until an ambulance arrived.

The man became aggressive when he regained consciousness and had to be detained and taken to hospital.

The officers were commended for their quick thinking and courageous actions which were said to have undoubtedly saved the life of the man.