Over 55,000 Assaults Against UK Police Officers In Past Year

3 February 2025

Forces have a duty of care to provide suitable training and equipment to their officers, Surrey Police Federation has said, as it emerged that there is an assault against a UK police officer every 10 minutes on average.

New figures show that, over the past year, UK police officers endured an appalling 55,954 assaults. There were 45,907 assaults on officers in England and Wales, 6,702 in Scotland, and 3,345 in Northern Ireland.

Surrey Police Federation Chair Darren Pemble said: “We are very concerned that assaults on officers are increasing. An officer is assaulted every 10 minutes in the UK. Many officers are second-guessing whether they should tackle violent criminals, aware of the violence that they can be subjected to, as well as being held under such tight scrutiny.

“We need to protect the protectors. Forces have a duty of care to their workforce to provide suitable training and equipment so that officers can reduce the risk they face.”