Spit guards being issued

28 March 2018

Spit guards are now being issued to all front-line officers after a survey conducted by Leicestershire Police Federation revealed members wanted the extra protective equipment.

Officers will be able to collect the guards from their local stations and will be given training on their use.

Federation chair Tiff Lynch worked with the Force to find a suitable type of guard.

“We were aware that there were many different styles of guard available to forces but wanted to find a style that offered our officers suitable protection and yet was not a hood-style guard that would cover the whole of an assailant’s head and face,” Tiff explained.

“The single-use guards our officers will be using are made of a fine mesh in 100 per cent breathable nylon but crucially they only cover the person’s nose and mouth. They are fixed in place with elastic that fits under the ears and cannot be removed by a handcuffed detainee.

“I am hopeful these guards will act as a deterrent to those who spit – or threaten to spit - at officers but that where they do have to be used they give officers protection from what is a vile and totally unacceptable attack.

“No-one likes to be spat at but police officers regularly find themselves assaulted in this way, leaving them vulnerable to possible infections.”

The message from the Force and the Federation is that being spat at is not part of a police officer’s job.

Tiff says it’s quite simple: “I have heard people criticise the police for using spit guards but to me it’s quite simple: if you don’t want to wear a spit guard then don’t spit at a police officer.”

And the Federation chair has welcomed the Force’s stance on the issue.

Sergeant Mel Thomas from Leicestershire Police Skills Training came up with the design.  He said: “We had concerns about the full head spit hoods as it is much harder to see a person’s eyes and monitor their reactions. Also taken into consideration was the public perception of placing a full hood over a person’s head.

“This design serves the purpose of protecting officers, is less restrictive for the person wearing it and by only masking the lower face we hope it will be less alarming for the general public.”

The Force’s learning and development department has put together an internal training video and a policy to help with the launch.  

The film outlines the reasons why spit guards are being introduced in Force, touching on the health and safety risks of being spat at, how it was developed and how the guard should be applied.

The guards will be issued to officers who have watched the video or been given the input on their officer safety training.