A POLICE officer was stabbed in the arm when he tackled a robber at an off-licence.

The officer, who was with a colleague, was responding to a 999 call about an ongoing raid at the Wine Cellar store in Cleadon, near Sunderland, at 9.50pm on Tuesday.

Two men had threatened staff with what were believed to be knives and demanded cash. One man escaped with an undisclosed amount of money in a dark K-reg Citroen car.

When the officers arrived, they became involved in a scuffle with one of the men.

One man was arrested and is being questioned by detectives.

The staff at the store were shaken but unhurt.