A Bromley police officer has been praised for his heroism after preventing an aggravated burglary in Chislehurst.

PC Luke Bowers suffered a serious laceration to his arm but still managed to detain a man during the dramatic incident.

The officer, of the south east dog support unit, entered a home in Chislehurst Road in September 18 of last year to confront two masked men, one of whom was armed with a machete style knife.

He followed them upstairs and saw a man climbing out of a broken first-floor bedroom window.

PC Bowers was pulled into a shard of glass after trying to get hold of the man which seriously damaged his arm.

Despite the heavy bleeding, he managed to detain the man with one arm for one and a half minutes while assistance arrived.

The man held was arrested for aggravated burglary.

A standard Independent Office for Public Conduct (IOPC) was launched and it concluded that the officer should be commended for his bravery.

It also found that he was justified to use appropriate force.

Regional director for London IOPC, Sal Naseem, said: "Despite sustaining a serious injury to themselves the officer truly went above and beyond to ensure the safety of this individual.

"As part of our investigation conclusion we recommended the force acknowledge the good work of the officer as we believe it important that such dedication and courageousness is rewarded.

"However, we felt it was also equally important to highlight this act of bravery publicly."

PC Bowers was hospitalised for three days and returned to work recently after five months.