#ProtectTheProtectors: Assaults on police officers remain at a level difficult to comprehend

30 July 2021

1,594 Kent Police officers were assaulted on duty last year. That’s 30 a week. Around 4 a day.

Figures published by the Government show that nationally, there were 36,969 assaults on police officers in England and 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.

Neil Mennie, Chairman of Kent Police Federation, said: “Once again further evidence shows that assaults on our colleagues remain at a level that is hard to comprehend. This sadly isn’t new and the evidence is piling up all the time since better efforts have been made to record these incidents.

“There are theories abound as to why this is occurring but it certainly can’t continue. It’s time to have a close look at some practical solutions both to prevent and deter assaults. Behind every statistic is an individual who will have been trying to perform their duties in protecting the public and themselves.

“I look forward to a time when we have to write less about this issue but having just seen another paltry sentence handed out for a nasty assault on a Kent Officer I remain sceptical. Sentencing isn’t a magic bullet and the only factor at play bit it would certainly help.”

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.

Neil added: “This past year we saw a particularly unpleasant increase in spitting and coughing aside from all the other types of assaults endured. Policing is a vocation and many having read these statistics feel will additionally undervalued with a 0% pay increase.”