Police officers attacked 'by group of up to 30 schoolchildren'

A pair of police officers were left battered and bruised when they were punched and kicked by a mob of schoolchildren.

The uniformed officers confronted a gang of up to 30 youths, some wearing school uniform, when they noticed one boy had a large knife.

But the youths turned on the officer, punching him repeatedly and with such force he fell to the ground.

His colleague, a female officer, tried to step in and help but she was also punched in the jaw by one of the children during the savage assault on November 9 in New Cross.

The group kicked the male officer in the head as a lay on the floor leaving him with serious bruising and concussion.

A boy, 15, was arrested at the scene, on suspicion of actual bodily harm and was taken to a south-London police station, after the incident on Wednesday, November 9th, at around 4pm.> He has been bailed to a date in mid-December, while police urge members of the public who witnessed the attack and captured it on their mobile phones, to come forward and speak to police.> Anyone with any information can call police on 101 or contact Lewisham CID on 020 8284 8365 or 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.