A POLICE officer has said the incident where a cocaine-fuelled knifeman tried to repeatedly stab him was “the most frightening” situation he has been in.

PC Rhydian Jones and PC Gareth Marsh, of Gwent Police, recalled the night in October last year when they were called to reports of a man holding two large knives in a block of flats in Caerleon.

Shocking bodycam footage released last week shows the moment Tony Buttigieg, 36 withstood being Tasered and began thrusting the knives at the stab vest of PC Jones before being tackled to the ground.

Buttigieg was jailed for four years.

Speaking yesterday, PC Jones said: “We have got experience dealing with public order situations, going into numerous calls.

“We both went to London for the riots back in 2011 and out to Belfast, in Northern Ireland in 2013 – we are well versed with conflict situations.

“But, without a doubt, it was the most volatile and frightening situation that I have been in, in 10 years policing.”

PC Jones said they activated their body-worn cameras as soon as they arrived at the scene as they were aware of the knives.

As soon as they saw Buttigieg, of Flavius Close, in Caerleon, PC Jones said, it became apparent he was either under the influence of substances or suffering from mental health issues as he was agitated and sweating, not making much sense.

PC Jones added that the negotiations went on for a few minutes, asking him to put the knives down, but that it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t going to cooperate.

“I explained to him that, if he continued to hold the knives in a threatening manner, a Taser may be used,” he continued. “We were concerned about someone coming out of the doors as he was banging and pushing the doors - public safety is paramount.

“He said he would stab himself in the heart before we could Taser him.”

They were left with no option but to take decisive action, PC Jones continued, with PC Marsh tasering Buttigieg twice.

PC Marsh, who was been working for the police for 13 and a half years, said it was “close incident”, but that he wouldn’t have done anything different as their priority was to keep everyone safe.

He said they knew there was a pregnant lady in a flat and an elderly lady in another, for example.

“He was trying doors of members of the public,” he continued. “If he had gained entry to one of those flats, we would have been in a very different situation.”

Gwent Police’s chief superintendent Marc Budden said: “I am immensely proud of what the officers did that day.

“I think it shows that their skill, their training and their professionalism ensured that they were able to keep members of the public, their colleagues and Mr Buttigieg himself safe.”

Mr Budden said that body worn footage enables the police to show the level of violence and aggression faced by police officers on a daily basis.