DRAMATIC CCTV showing a knifeman wrestling with a police officer in York will be shown on television this week.

Dean Richard Edwards, 28, had a 12ins kitchen knife in his waistband when he resisted arrest while defying a court-imposed curfew on September 26 last year.

Edwards was seen acting suspiciously by CCTV operators in Exhibition Square almost 11pm, and he became “verbally aggressive and confrontational” to PC Rich Farrar, so decided to search him.

When he did, Edwards launched himself backwards, and tried to flee as the knife fell from his trousers. In the ensuing tussle, PC Farrar was assisted by passing martial artist Andy Haigh.

The footage was not made publicly available at the time, but can now be shown. The images have been provided by City of York Council.

PC Farrar and Mr Haigh will appear on the BBC 1 show Caught Red Handed with presenter Dom Littlewood, at 11.45am on Thursday, alongside council CCTV operators, to talk about the incident.

PC Farrar said: “I got an email from the producers of the show. I wondered how they’d got to hear about it, and they had seen the story in a national paper.

“They wanted to know how it felt when a member of the public came to assist while others were watching. It was nice to know that there are people who are really wanting to help police officer who needs some assistance and not just drive past or do nothing.”

Mr Haigh restrained Edwards, who was later jailed for 20 months, allowing PC Farrar to handcuff him until backup arrived, and PC Farrar said the assistance of Mr Haigh and CCTV operators helped ensure a conviction.

Then Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst said Edwards, of Lucas Avenue, Clifton, was “someone who is essentially lawless”, and there were big concerns about what he would have done with the 12ins knife had he not been stopped. He sentenced Edwards to a total of 30 months in prison.

Mr Haigh is a professional cage fighting judge from Leeds, and was in York with his partner Diane for a birthday celebration. Trained in Muay Thai boxing and jujitsu, after Edwards was handcuffed, he got back into his taxi and left the scene.

He said in October: “I couldn’t see him struggle on his own. He was a lone police officer trying to make an arrest and I just helped him out. Someone was going to get hurt.”

He returned to York to meet PC Farrar again in October following a public appeal to help find the Good Samaritan who assisted PC Farrar, who said he hoped showing the footage would help the public understand how dangerous the role of a police officer can be, and the vital roles played by the public and civilian CCTV operators.

PC Farrar said: “It’s very important to remember CCTV makes the streets of York safer and helps detect crime. It’s great to identification purposes and for evidence, as it’s hard to put pen to paper and relay what you’ve seen. When you see it on CCTV in court or in interview, it speaks a thousand words.

“Obviously there might be some lighthearted mickey taking from my colleagues, we’ll see. I just hope we come across professional and informative, and it portrays police, Mr Haigh and the CCTV operators in a good light, and that without the assistance of members of the public, things could go very differently.”