THE bravery and professionalism of 10 Folkestone police officers has been marked at a ceremony at police headquarters at Maidstone.

Sgt Sean Pryor and PCs Stephen Bushell, Sean Baker, Stephen Alexander, Stephen Callow, Simon Drew, Darren Slater, Steven Maycock, Tony Green and Stephen Ashton all received Chief Constable's certificates of merit after their actions while on duty on Saturday, March 17, 2001.

The officers were called to deal with an aggressive and unstable man, armed with a plank of wood and a circular saw, who was smashing windows and screaming threats to kill in a block of flats at Harvey Street in Folkestone.

The team entered the building in protective clothing and eventually managed to arrest the man. No one injured during the incident. The man was subsequently convicted and sent to prison for two and a half years.

The trial judge commended the officers for their courage and fortitude.