A rampaging cocaine-fuelled dog which viciously attacked a man was taken down by police officers in an ‘outstanding’ act of bravery.

Supt Ed McLean hailed PC’s Anita Milne and Alex Wardlaw who had tasered and beat a savage Staffordshire bull terrier after it had turned on a terrified family at a property in High Wycombe.

When the officers arrived at the scene in March last year a man with extensive foot injuries had taken refuge on top of a car while the vicious animal circled below.

Whilst paramedics attended to a woman and her young children at the property, the officers decided to taser and beat the dog with batons before it caused any more harm.

The officers were commended for their bravery at the Wycombe Commander’s Commendation Awards Ceremony at High Wycombe Cricket club last night (January 28).

PC Wardlaw recalled how he had never been so frightened in is life, saying: “The man had been the victim of a life threatening attack and he was bleeding out so we had to make a decision.

“We decided to approach it from the car, it would have been impossible otherwise.

“It was quite sad really because no one wants to hurt an animal and it had obviously been mistreated at some point but we had to do what is best for the public.”

The distressed animal managed to escape the officers but was later tracked down at its previous home.

After the dog was captured and put down an autopsy showed it had cocaine in its system, which is believed to have caused the vicious attack.