Police patrol van in Pretoria. A police Constable was attacked in Delft

A police officer is lucky to be alive after he was seriously injured in an axe-attack outside Delft Police Station in the early hours of Monday.

A swift response by law enforcement subsequently led to the arrest of three suspects.

According to police, the incident unfolded shortly after 2am at Delft SAPS.

Police said a constable was standing outside the Community Service Centre just after 2am when he was approached by a suspect armed with an axe.