Officer assaults: maximum sentences to double

15 September 2020

New legislation to double the sentence for assaulting a police officer has been fast-tracked by the Government.

The maximum prison sentence will now increase from 12 months to two years in a change in law that the national Police Federation has lobbied for extensively.

The chair of West Midlands Police Federation, Jon Nott, welcomed the news: “The Federation’s Protect the Protectors campaign was all about pushing for increased sentencing and getting the message across that assaulting emergency service workers is completely unacceptable.

“Assaults against our officers and blue light colleagues are increasing and, even during the pandemic, some individuals thought it appropriate to attack by coughing or spitting on officers while claiming to have coronavirus.

“I just hope the increased sentencing acts as a deterrent but we need the courts to hand out the toughest possible sentences.”

More than 11,000 people were prosecuted for assaulting an emergency worker in 2019, according to Ministry of Justice statistics.

This latest change in the law will be the second in two years after the 2018 Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act increased the maximum sentence from six months to a year.

The new law will mean that when a person is convicted of offences, including sexual assault or manslaughter, a judge must consider whether an offence against an emergency worker merits an increase in sentence.