Officer videos timely reminder in assaults bill campaign

24 April 2018

Leicestershire Police Federation chair Tiff Lynch has welcomed the release of two powerful new videos which highlight the Protect the Protectors campaign.

They come ahead of the third reading of a Private Members’ Bill in Parliament this Friday (27 April) which, if supported, will offer more protection to emergency service workers by increasing the punishment handed out to those who assault them.

Produced by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), the footage shows emotional personal testimony from officers who have been assaulted in the line of duty.

They tell brief, yet horrific, details of officers being stabbed, kicked, choked, sexually assaulted and bitten while doing their jobs.

One officer tells the camera: “I thought I was dead.”

The Federation’s Protect the Protectors campaign has been running since last year and is expected to be a key theme of this year national Police Federation conference in Birmingham next month.

But before then comes Friday’s reading of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Bill. Tiff has written to all county MPs asking for their support for the bill that will create added deterrent to those thinking of assaulting an officer in the future.

“The newly-released videos highlight stories that are all too common across the country and show the sort of disgusting attacks that our members have had to put up with for far too long while simply trying to do their jobs,” says Tiff.

“Nobody should expect to be kicked, punched or spat at while trying to protect a community and the punishments for those who do this are currently far too lenient.

“Friday’s proposed legislation aims to change that and it has been encouraging to see the support there was for the bill during its first two appearances in the House of Commons last year.

“I am calling on all Leicestershire’s MPs to get right behind it because there needs to be more of a deterrent put in place.”

National Federation chair Calum Macleod says: “The videos show the bravery of our emergency services and the dangers they face every time they put on the uniform. It cannot be right that they should be at risk of being attacked, wounded and scarred physically and emotionally just for doing their job serving the public.”

The Protect the Protectors campaign is also expected to be a major feature of the national Federation conference in Birmingham next month where keynote speakers address and discuss major issues with a large audience.

Leicestershire Police Federation released its own video footage last July showing an officer being punched in the face by an offender in custody. That attracted nationwide media attention with more than 45,000 views on social media and acted as another stark example of what officers are forced to deal with.

You can view the newly released videos here and here.