A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a policeman was stabbed while responding to an incident on Easter Sunday.

The officer was attacked after being called to the block of flats on Churchill Way just after 4.20pm.

He has been taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital for treatment. 

A 42-year-old man from Basingstoke was arrested and remains in police custody.

The community has been left shaken by the incident, with residents saying the town centre accommodation block is usually a peaceful place to live.

Here is a recap of everything we know so far. 

What happened?

Hampshire Constabulary was called to Churchill Place apartment block, in Churchill Way, at 4.30pm on Sunday following a concern for welfare call.

While at the scene, residents said a police officer was stabbed. 

Police said the officer was left with serious injuries.

Is the police officer okay?

The police officer has been taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire for treatment. 

His family have been informed and Hampshire Constabulary say they are receiving 'support'.

The officer has been seriously injured but is in a stable condition. 

Basingstoke Gazette:

Who was arrested? 

A 43-year-old man, from Basingstoke, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

What happens next?

Once someone is arrested, they are held in custody for questioning and while police investigatie. 

The police can hold the individual for up to 24 hours before they have to charge the person with a crime or release them.

They can apply to hold the person for up to 36 or 96 hours if they are suspected of a serious crime, eg murder.

In this case, the individual could be charged, released or detained. 

What happened at the apartment block?

Details surrounding the incident remain unclear at this stage though police said they were responding to a call when the incident happened inside the accommodation block.

Basingstoke Gazette:

What were residents told? 

The seventh floor of Churchill Place was cordoned off while police investigated last night.

Residents said they were left largely in the dark about what happened.

“No one’s allowed above the seventh floor,” one person told the Gazette last night. “We live on the sixth floor so we can go back in.

“There’s loads of people on the grass outside and they can’t get back in. There was 17 I counted that couldn’t get back in their flats.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

The resident said that police remained tight-lipped.

He said: “The concierge said to us something really had happened and it could be going on a while. And the seventh floor is a no go, it’s completely on lockdown.

"It’s all a bit mad.”

The flats are usually a very quiet place, one resident said, and in the year they have lived there they have never seen any trouble.

“It’s unusual,” he added, “and to be honest, the apartments themselves - people are usually friendly and quiet and cause no bother.

“It’s all very strange.”

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