TAVISTOCK Police arrested a man at the weekend for assault on two police officers and criminal damage to an ambulance.

Two officers were assaulted on Saturday evening (December 1) after attending a report of a man trying to harm himself at Greenlands, Tavistock.

A spokesperson for the police said: ‘The male had to be restrained by the officers due to his violent nature while they waited for an ambulance.

‘During this time, the male kicked one officer in the leg a number of times.

‘They eventually got him into an ambulance and an officer travelled in the back of the ambulance to hospital due to his violent nature. While on their way to Derriford, the male again had to be restrained after kicking the officer.’

The male also spat on the walls of the ambulance, requiring it to be deep cleaned.

Tavistock Police posted on their Twitter page that the man arrested was well known to the officers and the injuries to them and the damage to the ambulance was committed despite them trying to help the man. They said both officers had ‘light injuries’ but abuse against emergency services would not be tolerated and would be ‘dealt with robustly’.

The spokesperson added that if at some point in the future the man was deemed fit, he would be interviewed for the two assaults.