Officers urged to seek justice when assaulted

19 December 2022

Police wellbeing service Oscar Kilo has released a video as part of its campaign to raise awareness of Operation Hampshire - a national strategy to help forces understand, support and seek justice for all types of assault against officers and staff.

Operation Hampshire has been rolled out to all forces across the country and many are now starting to use the app to improve reporting of assaults. The video has been produced to make sure officers are aware of the support available to them.

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton urged members to watch the short film - Together Against Assaults - which has been posted on the Force intranet.

He said: “Assaults against police officers are unacceptable, inexcusable and in many ways an attack on society itself.

“We will never accept assaults on our members as ‘part of the job’ and always press for the toughest possible sentences against those who commit such a crime.

“Derbyshire Police Federation fully supports the efforts being made to improve outcomes for officers when they are assaulted or abused while performing their duties and keeping communities safe.

Operation Hampshire has been rolled out to all forces across the country

“We are not yet where we would like to be both in terms of every assault on an officer being properly reported and investigated and also with some of the decisions made with the criminal justice system in the past when  we have seen assaults not been charged when they could have been and also examples of what I would consider perverse decisions in getting offenders brought to justice in the courts.

“We continue to work with the Force to get to a position where offenders are properly held to account for their actions, a proper deterrent is in place to prevent future assaults and officers receive the welfare care they need when they need it.”

Tony said Operation Hampshire aimed to improve members’ understanding of the processes after an assault.

He said: “It’s important that our members have a clear understanding of what Operation Hampshire is about, the impact of assaults and why reporting is so important.

“The strategy is about changing the culture to create a togetherness mentality to improve the way assaults are understood, talked about and reported.

“Above all, our members need to know they are never on their own.”

Chief Constable Rachel Swann urged officers to report all incidents so the Force can ensure safe working practices are put in place to offer support to those affected and secure the best justice outcome.

She said: “We want to do everything we can to allow officers, staff and volunteers to carry out their roles safely. Assaults are absolutely not part of the job but we do know that they unfortunately occur.”

The Operation Hampshire video can be viewed on the Force intranet or the Oscar Kilo website.