Chief showcases spit guard

5 March 2018

The Force’s new spit guards – the design of which Leicestershire Police Federation was heavily involved in – are due to be delivered to the Force this month and will then be issued to officers.

Leicestershire Police Federation was also instrumental in the Force agreeing to issue the guards to officers.

“We carried out a members’ survey on this issue last year, asking officers if they wanted to have the spit guards at their disposal for use on people who spat at them,” says Tiff Lynch, the Federation chair.

“There was overwhelming support from our members who said they wanted them and would use them so we took this to the Force. It’s fair to say the Force listened and was quick to act.

“But there was some delay between the agreement to order the spit guards and their actual delivery because we wanted to ensure that we got the design right.”

The Force was keen to research all possible designs of guards. Leicestershire officer PS Mel Thomas from EMCHRS, skills training, came up with this design which has been tested and accepted as the preferred guard for Leicestershire officers to use.

Tiff added: “Ultimately, we are keen to protect officers. No-one should have to face being spat at as they carry out their duties but equally we wanted to get the best type of spit guard possible and I think that by working in partnership with the Force and the manufacturer we have done that.

“The spit guards we will use in Leicestershire are more like a mask or snood that will cover the mouth and nose of anyone who tries to spit at our officers. They are made of a fine mesh rather than some of the heavier materials I have seen used in other spit guards.”

Chief Constable Simon Cole has posted about the guards on social media and included a photograph of him wearing one.