Four police officers stabbed in London

Four police officers were stabbed as they tried to detain a man after a disturbance in north London, Scotland Yard said on Saturday.

Police said officers were called to an incident shortly before 9 am on the main road in Kingsbury where they had tried to speak to a man before he ran into a butcher's shop and grabbed a knife.

"Officers followed the man in an attempt to detain him and were subsequently assaulted," Chief Superintendent Dal Babu told reporters. "Four male police constables suffered stab injuries during the incident and have been taken by the London Ambulance Service to hospital."

One was stabbed in the stomach, a second suffered head injuries and stab wound to his arm, the third was stabbed in the leg, and the last sustained stab wounds to a hand and also suffered a broken hand.

Witnesses told media the suspect had been shouting at police beforehand and up to 10 officers had tried to calm him down.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is being quizzed at a police station in the area.