30 July 2021

#ProtectTheProtectors: 20% rise in assaults on police officers over the past year

There were 36,969 assaults on police officers in England & Wales last year.

That’s a 20%+ annual national rise.

It works out as 720 assaults a week, 101 assaults on police officers every day and more than 4 assaults every hour.

James Dimmack, Chair of Dorset Police Federation, said: “It is deeply concerning that assaults on police officers continue to rise. Given the period of lockdown you would have hoped that the opposite would have been the case.

“Concerningly offenders have utilised Covid-19 and used it a weapon against officers. Prolonged periods of social imprisonment have left people angry and unable to interact with each other. This has manifested itself evidently on assaults against Police.”

11,235 police officers were injured when the public assaulted them over the past year – that’s 30 injuries to police officers every single day of the year.

James added: “This only goes to highlight the increasingly dangerous and challenging times in which the police have to maintain order. Again officers are the ones running towards danger - be it physical violence or the masked spectre of an indiscriminate virus.

“Officers need to be protected. This needs to be in terms of the best quality equipment, support and welfare. Officers are battling these challenges whilst being required to work repeated extended shifts and cancelled days off.

“This can’t go on as officers who want to help will be burnt out and unable to function. We have been promised much by the Government however to date we have seen little or more penitently in terms of pay, nothing.

“It is time for the Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stop talking a good game and actually starting to play one!”