TWO police officers from Hampshire who detained a violent burglar who stabbed one with a hypodermic needle, have been recognised for their bravery.

PC Christi Hill and her partner PC Tristan Parsons were off duty when they saw a man burgling a salon.

He had smashed his way in using a golf club.

The officers attempted to detain the man, who was threatening members of the public with the golf club.

The pair ended up rolling around in the glass and the burglar stabbed PC Hill in the finger with a hypodermic needle, shouting that he was ‘infected with HIV’.

PC Hill remained calm during the terrifying incident and managed to restrain and arrest the man with the help of PC Parsons and a member of the public.

The officers were nominated for a Police Federation 2020 Bravery Awards, which were held at a ceremony in London yesterday after being postponed from last year because of the pandemic.

Hampshire Police Federation chair Zoe Wakefield paid tribute to their bravery, saying: “Christi and Tristan had no personal protective kit and no immediate recourse to back-up so to stop this incident from becoming much worse is a real credit to them.”