A NORTH Yorkshire Police officer who was punched in the face while helping to arrest four men at a drugs den in York has been praised for his work.

PC Alex Gregory was acting on information provided by the public over suspected drug dealing at a property in Acomb in May this year, when he was assaulted by one of the four suspects.

Last week, he received a commendation from Chief Constable Lisa Winward and Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, as his actions meant two local men and two men from Manchester were arrested, and a large quantity of drugs, mobile phones and cash were seized from the house.

PC Gregory said: "We had some information there was some drugs being cut up.

"We were met with four people, and on entering the address one of the party punched me to the face. I then had to try and restrain two males in the bedroom, and actually used my TASER to detain one male, then managed to get some assistance into the room to help me. From there, all four parties were arrested and a lot of drugs were recovered.

York Press:

Chief Constable Lisa Winward with PC Alex Gregory

PC Gregory said: "It's good to be recognised for the work that we do. We're obviously out there to protect the community and some recognition for the hard work we put into it goes a long way."