‘Keep talking to us and you won’t die’ – Response officers save man’s life after savage machete attack in St Ann’s

Fast-thinking response officers helped to save a man’s life after he had been savagely attacked with a machete.

Officers were praised by hospital staff who said the man may not be alive today if it wasn’t for their quick-thinking actions.

Nottinghamshire Police were the first emergency responders on the scene after a man had been attacked with a machete in St Ann’s in November 2024.

They arrived to find a man lying in the hallway of a property in Egerton Walk just before 11pm, covered in blood and immediately took command of the situation.

They managed to locate three serious wounds – including a 12-inch severe cut to the man’s arm which was exposing the bone.

With time against them, they applied three trauma bandages to the man’s arm, hand, and head to stop the catastrophic bleeding before paramedics arrived.

As the man was dipping in and out of consciousness, it was important that they kept him talking and offered reassurance.

One officer directed other officers around him to perform vital tasks including administrating oxygen and ensuring the bandages were working.

When asked by the man ‘Am I going to die?’ they calmly responded: “You keep talking to us and you won’t.”

One of the officers then stayed with the injured man when he was placed into an ambulance, continuing to play a vital role by feeding the paramedics information as he was transferred to hospital.

Doctors believe the man, in his 30s, lost around one litre of blood during the attack and praised the officers for their quick intervention.

Officers arrested and charged a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, shortly after the attack.

He denied attempted murder but pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

In June this year, he was handed an extended sentence of nine years and nine months, including three years due to being considered a dangerous offender.

He will serve his time in a young offenders' institution.

Chief Inspector Anwaar Ahmed, responsible for city response, said:

“Response officers are often the first officers at the scene when calling 999 and they are often there in people’s hour of need.

“This is a shining example of the heroic actions of our city response, who go above and beyond each day to keep the public safe.

“Without the actions of these response officers that night, we could be looking at a very different situation today. This was a life and death situation; it doesn’t get any more serious than this.

“Queen’s Medical Centre staff have praised these actions, who believe they were instrumental in saving the young man’s life.

“During a challenging and fast-paced situation, where every second counted, they managed to keep the victim calm and focused while delivering lifesaving first-aid. They should be immensely proud of his actions that evening.”