Two brave Irvine police have been recognised for their extraordinary acts of fearlessness and determination.

Police Constables John Black and Jason Kean each won a Scottish Police Federation Bravery Award for saving the life of a suicidal man who carried out a violent knife attack on them during an incident at his home in May last year.

The man had consumed a concoction of medication, alcohol, drugs and white spirit, barricaded himself into his house and was in the process of trying to hang himself.

Having tried unsuccessfully to make contact, the officers broke down the door and were immediately confronted with a large knife being wielded in their faces.

The officers managed to disarm him but the man had another knife, which he used to attack them before slashing at his own throat and arms.

Constables Black and Kean tackled the man to prevent him from harming himself any further. After a considerable struggle in a hazardous environment due to the amount of blood loss, the officers managed to disarm and restrain him and used their first aid knowledge to tend to his wounds.

The man was then taken to Crosshouse Hospital where it took six sedatives to calm him.

Constable John Black said: “The man was suffering from extreme depression following the loss of his mother and his condition had deteriorated considerably in the run up to the incident.

“When we arrived, he was very distressed and lashing out. Our immediate reaction was to remove the knife to stop him from hurting himself further.

“He had lost a lot of blood and this made the conditions more challenging. I’m glad we managed to save his life and hope he is getting the right care and support.”

Inspector Stuart McVean, who nominated the officers, added: “If it hadn’t been for the intervention and bravery of these officers, the man would certainly have been successful in taking his own life.

“They went above and beyond the call of duty and dealt with a highly traumatic and dangerous situation with no regard for their own safety.”

Andrea MacDonald, Chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “The actions undertaken by these police officers that day were incredibly brave. They put themselves in danger to save a man’s life.”