Salisbury policeman Nick Bailey says 'I'm not a hero'
Video report by ITV News Political Correspondent Libby Wiener
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who fell ill after tending to poisoned spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia, has denied being a hero.
In a statement the police officer, who remains seriously ill in hospital, said he was "merely doing his job" when he was one of the first to respond to the incident in Salisbury last Wednesday.
Police were called by members of the public after Mr Skripal and Yulia were spotted slumped on a bench near the Maltings shopping centre. Police told the media at the time they were responding to a drug-related incident.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the pair remain in a critical condition after the suspected nerve agent attack.
Speaking after a second meeting of the government's Cobra committee on Saturday afternoon, Ms Rudd said counter terrorism police have identified over 200 witnesses and are looking at more than 240 pieces of evidence as part of a "painstaking, detailed investigation".
Ms Rudd said it was still too early to say who was responsible for the attack. Moscow continues to deny any involvement in the attempted murder of the man who betrayed them.
"This is a serious, substantial investigation. We need to give the police and the investigators the space to get on with that," she said.
Wiltshire Police released a statement on behalf of DS Bailey in which he said he was "hugely grateful" the messages of support he had received.
The statement read: "He also wishes to say that he was part of a group of officers and other emergency service colleagues who dealt with the initial incident.
"He wants to say that he does not consider himself a 'hero', he states he was merely doing his job - a job he loves and is immensely proud of - just like all of his other dedicated colleagues do, day in-day out, in order to protect the public and keep people safe."
Police turned their attention on Friday to the cemetery where the 66-year-old Russian's wife and son were laid to rest, with investigations continuing there on Saturday.
Officers in hazmat suits were seen placing a blue forensic tent over Mr Skirpal's son's memorial stone before appearing to put items in several yellow barrels.
The grave of Mr Skripal's wife Liudmila, who was buried in 2012, and the memorial stone of his son Alexander, who was cremated last year, were cordoned off at the London Road cemetery.
The Met Police have said they are not exhuming a body, but would not comment further on their work in the cemetery.
Apparent fears of chemical contamination have also seen Mr Skripal's home cordoned off while detectives attempt to pin down the origins of the substance used to incapacitate him.
A short distance away, a convoy of military vehicles rolled into the car park at Salisbury District Hospital to recover a police car on Friday evening.
Around 180 troops, including Royal Marines, RAF Regiment troops and chemical warfare specialists, are understood to have been deployed after Scotland Yard requested specialist help.
Suspicion is mounting that Russia carried out the attempt on their lives as an act of revenge against the former intelligence officer, who was convicted in 2006 of selling state secrets to MI6.
He was later released as part of a spy swap with the US.
The Kremlin denies responsibility and British ministers have urged caution over apportioning blame until the facts become clear.
Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said the military's presence reflected the "seriousness" of the situation, adding: "We mustn't get ahead of ourselves but we must have a robust response and it's something that we'll be discussing with our Nato partners and with the forthcoming summit in Brussels in July.
"Some big questions arise as to how do you stand up to a clandestine and sinister attack deliberately done to play havoc in our society?"
On Saturday, Security Minister Ben Wallace said the Government was ready to respond with "the full force of the United Kingdom's resources" once they had established who was responsible for the attack.
"Once we have established the facts and the attribution, the Government and law enforcement and others will respond appropriately as a country such of the United Kingdom should," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Mrs Rudd had earlier visited Salisbury and the hospital where DS Bailey is receiving treatment.
Lord Blair, a former Met Commissioner, suggested on Friday's Today programme the seriously ill detective had visited Mr Skripal's home.
He said: "There obviously are some indications the officer, and I'm very sorry that he has been injured, has actually been to the house, whereas there was a doctor who looked after the patients in the open who hasn't been affected at all.
"So there may be some clues floating around in here."
Police said 21 people had been seen for medical treatment since the incident.
The figure includes members of the public and emergency staff, some of whom have had blood tests as well as receiving support and advice.
The attack is being treated as attempted murder.