A POLICE Constable from Atherton has been awarded a Citation of Merit for his bravery after arresting a violent man in Salford despite being attacked by a mob (writes Peter Riley).

PC James Hunt, 31, who patrols his beat from The Crescent in Salford, was on duty with a colleague just after midnight on a Sunday in June last year when they noticed 10 to 15 people causing a disturbance.

One man who was shouting obscenities and making threats was grabbed by PC Hunt who managed to place speedcuffs on him despite a violent struggle, but both officers then found themselves surrounded by an angry mob of about 25 people who attacked them, forcing them to use their batons and call for assistance.

Despite the vicious attack Constable Hunt, who joined Greater Manchester Police in 1993, and his colleague managed to hold on to their prisoner until help arrived and the mob ran off into a nearby housing estate.

The prisoner was later fined £200 for a Public Order offence. Next news story

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