Assaults on emergency service workers go up

4 June 2021

Humberside Police Federation chair Lee Sims says courts must use their full sentencing powers in cases involving assaults on police and other emergency service workers to stem an increase in these attacks.

Crime figures released yesterday by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) showed a 26 per rise in assaults against emergency workers. The increase is thought to be driven by an upturn in common assaults on the police, including suspects spitting on officers while claiming to be infected with Covid-19.

“Only last weekend two Humberside officers were injured when dealing with a disturbance at a pub,” says Lee, “It sickens me to think that people seem to think it’s OK to assault police officers and that such attacks are part of their job. No one should be assaulted because of the job they do and when they are their attacker should expect to receive the harshest sentence possible.

“While crime has generally decreased during the pandemic, we have seen a shocking increase in attacks on emergency service workers, the very workers who have remained on the frontline to try to maintain public services for the communities they serve.

“These workers have risked their own health to help others, often complete strangers, and in return they are been subjected to verbal and physical abuse. How can that be right?”

National Police Federation chair John Apter has also responded to the release of the figures.

He explained: “This increased level of violence is not just a one-off. It is becoming the new norm which is completely unacceptable. Violence in our society is not just a policing issue, all parts of Government and society itself must work together to combat this alarming increase.

“Part of this is ensuring those responsible for attacking police officers face a suitable deterrent in court. The sentencing guidelines have been changed, so we need judges and magistrates to use these powers to set an example to those who are assaulting our colleagues, those responsible must spend time in prison. This unjustified violence is a stain on society and needs to be dealt with robustly.”

The latest crime figures cover the four-week period ending 11 April 2021 and are compared with the equivalent period in 2019, rather than 2020. This is to allow comparisons with a more normal time-period, since the national lockdown in place at the same time last year (2020) was associated with notable reductions in demands on the police.

NPCC chair Martin Hewitt commented: “The fall across most of these figures, compared to 2019, shows that we’re still seeing the impact of lockdown, despite the further easing of restrictions in May. That said, we are anticipating crime levels to return to pre-pandemic levels in the coming months, as we did across the summer in 2020.”

He added: “The number of assaults against emergency workers continues to show a troubling rise. This is unacceptable. We will use the full force of the law to prosecute anyone who uses violence against those who are on the frontline. Officers and staff are out in communities, working in challenging circumstances, and I am grateful for their continued hard work.”