For London police officers have been stabbed in a horrific incident in northwest London.

According to Scotland Yard, the four officers – three in their 20s and one in his 30s -- were called to the scene of a man causing a disturbance in the street on Kingsbury Road, Harrow.

“Officers attempted to speak with the man before he ran into a local butcher's shop and grabbed a knife. Officers followed the man in an attempt to detain him and were subsequently assaulted,” the Metropolitan Police stated.

The four constables – all of whom were based in Harrow -- suffered stabbing injuries and are now in hospital. Two of the policemen were seriously hurt and one broke his hand.

The suspect, a 32-year old man, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody at a West London police station.

According to British media, the owner of the butcher shop where the suspect took the knife to attack the police officers, 51--year-old Mohammad Qasim said: The man came quickly inside and said: 'Give me a chopper'. The boys who work for me said: 'Why give you a chopper?' After a few minutes police came in and tried to catch him and he stabbed one. Everything was a mess and then police came and said 'go out'. Everybody came out and police went in and took the guy.

A local shopkeeper Girish Modha, told BBC that just before the stabbings: A man was shouting at police in a small alleyway next to a hairdresser's shop which neighbors mine. He grabbed a piece of fluorescent tubing and brandished it at police. He then ran down Kingsbury Road, going into a cash-and-carry shop. At one point I think he threw a brick and smashed a police car window. He then ran round the roundabout and carried on towards the Tube station. He went into a butchers, got a knife and that's when the stabbing took place.

“This was an appalling attack on brave individuals who work tirelessly to protect our communities and keep our streets safe, commented London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Similarly, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said: It was shocking that on a hopefully quiet Saturday morning in a London residential area that we had such a terrible incident. It shows just the difficult job that police officers do.

The Labour Party's mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone said: We all know that knife crimes and stabbings are still a problem but even with that knowledge this attack is shocking.

Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, visited the area following the attacks, said he was deeply upset and the mood in the neighborhood was very somber.

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