A POLICE officer who was kicked in the eye as he tried to arrest a criminal has thanked a group of men for saving him from an even worse beating.

Pc Dave Mills, whose bruised face was featured in The Monday Gazette after the violent attack, attended the police commendation ceremony to thank the men for their bravery.

The constable, who has since made a full recovery, said: "The least I could do for what they've done for me was to come here. I believe that without their assistance, I could have been assaulted further and sustained more injuries.

"It's nice to know there are people out there who still appreciate what we do and are happy to get involved and help us do our job."

The incident happened on January 13 this year, when Pc Mills was called to a report of a robbery near Sainsbury's, in Hatch Warren.

A security guard from the store followed the three offenders - two men and a woman - to the Gabriel Park estate. When Pc Mills arrived, one of the men lashed out at him with a bottle. Pc Mills wrestled him to the ground and, at that point, the girl went to attack him. However, the security guard held her back, although she still managed to kick Pc Mills twice.

Meanwhile, Luis Gordon and David Barker, who were nearby at Luis' home, came out to see what was going on.

Luis and David helped Pc Mills hold the man down and handcuff him, while the security guard restrained the girl.

Luis called for backup while he was kneeling on the man's back.

Luis, who manages Halfords in Brighton Hill, Basingstoke, said: "It's absolutely brilliant to be commended - I feel so honoured.

"Working in retail, you get a lot of situations which turn nasty and at times you rely heavily on the police, so to be able to support them like that wasn't an issue."