Chair alarmed by assaults on officers

29 July 2021

The chair of Suffolk Police Federation says the number of attacks on the county’s police officers during the pandemic has been alarming.

Darren Harris said officers were subjected to an alarming number of assaults during a period when the country was in lockdown, and said he was disgusted by offenders who have threatened to weaponise Covid-19 by spitting on officers.

He was speaking after new Government figures show there were 81 assaults on Suffolk officers causing injury in the year ending March 2021 and a further 354 assaults on officers without injury.

Nationally, there were almost 37,000 assaults on police officers in England and Wales, including British Transport Police, in the year ending March 2021.

Of those, 25,734 were assaults without injury on a constable, an increase of 21 per cent compared with 21,321 in the previous year.

And 11,235 were assaults with injury on a constable, up by 1.2 per cent compared with 11,106 in the previous year.

Darren said: “These figures are for a period when to all intents and purposes, we were in the midst of a pandemic and therefore there were significant periods when we were in lockdown.

“What we have seen during the last 16 months is that, despite restrictions on people going out, the closure of pubs and nightclubs, police officers have continued to be subjected to an alarming number of assaults while carrying out their duties, serving and protecting the public during some of the most challenging times any of us have known.

“I find it particularly despicable that some individuals have sought to weaponise Covid-19 by spitting and coughing over officers while claiming to have the virus, and we have seen an increase in these attacks.”

Darren called for the full weight of the law to be used against offenders who attack officers and other emergency services personnel.

He said: “My other concern is that in November 2018 the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act came into effect, giving a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison for those who assault police and other emergency service workers.

“The aim of this increase in sentence was not just to punish those who carried out these attacks but also to deter others.

“Sadly, all too often, we are still seeing the courts handing out little more than a slap on the wrists and this is not helping us. No one should be assaulted for doing their job and we need the courts to use the sentencing powers available to them to ensure that we get this message across.

“These attacks cannot be allowed to continue. Offenders should feel the full weight of the law. More has to be done to protect those who protect their communities.”