EXCEPTIONAL police officers have been hailed for their bravery.

Among them were four police officers from Greenock, who attended an incident where a man carried out a vicious and frenzied knife attack.

Seven police offers formed a human chain to hold on to a young man who had jumped into the River Irvine.

And four others stopped a man from jumping from the 12th floor window of a block of Coatbridge flats.

They were from a group of 22 police officers honoured at a prestigious awards ceremony held by the Scottish Police Federation last night.

Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Justice who presented the overall Scottish Police Federation Bravery Award, said: “These officers are a shining example of the extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism that are frequently demonstrated by our Scottish Police Force but which often go unrecognised."

Sergeant Iain Farmer, Constables Andy Roseburgh, Carolyne Quinn, James Laurie, David Plancey, Graeme Sheehan and Fergus Shaw from Kilmarnock saved the life of a 20-year-old man in August 2017, after he jumped into the River Irvine and was swept downstream.

Under the command of Sergeant Farmer, and with no regard for their own safety, the officers formed a human chain along a tree that had fallen across the fast flowing river to pull the man to safety as he passed.

Sergeant Mark Chivers, Constables Neil McBain, Chris Mains and Darren Connor, saved the life of a man who was intent on jumping out of a block of flats in Coatbridge in July this year.

Throughout the incident, he was kicking, spitting and punching them while pushing against the building in an attempt to get free.