Assaults increase by 31 per cent
27 August 2020
Assaults on emergency service workers have increased by 31 per cent when comparing July this year to the same period last year.
The figures, released today by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, cover the four weeks to 2 August 2020 and have been compared with the same four weeks in 2019.
“I would like to say that I am shocked by these figures but, having asked for figures from our Force recently, I am not,” says Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police Federation, “In our Force area there were 267 officer assaults in April this year and 279 in May - compared to 234 in April and 279 in May 2019. What does shock me is that while police officers have been on the front-line of the nation’s response to the pandemic, there are so many mindless individuals who seem to think it’s OK to attack a police officer or another of our blue light colleagues while they are doing their jobs and serving their communities.
“Time and time again, officers are taking the brunt of these people’s anger and frustration with some even coughing over or spitting at officers while claiming to have coronavirus.
“We need the courts to hand out the toughest possible sentences when these offenders are brought before them. These despicable attacks have to stop. All the time the number of assaults on emergency service workers continue to rise I would suggest offenders are not being suitably punished or we would perhaps see them changing their behaviour and others being deterred from carrying out these attacks.”
The Federation continues to push for an increase in sentences for those who assault emergency service workers with its ‘Protect The Protectors’ campaign.
National Federation vice-chair Ché Donald said: “It is vital to safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of police officers and ensure courts issue tougher sentences for those who assault emergency service workers.”
