Rise in assaults: an “absolute disgrace”

28 April 2022

The rising number of assaults against officers has been described as an “absolute disgrace” by the chair of West Midlands Police Federation and sparked fresh calls for all frontline officers to be trained to carry Taser.

Rich Cooke was responding to shocking new figures which revealed 200 West Midlands police officers are attacked each month.

Details of the surge in assaults emerged in a report to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s strategic board.

PCC Simon Foster said: “On average, there are around 200 assaults on a police officer each month. This is utterly unacceptable. Police officers should not have to put up with this.

“The police are there to keep us safe and the overwhelming majority of the public greatly value the work officers and staff to do to protect us.

“The roll-out of over 3,000 body-worn video cameras to officers is helping prosecutions, but I also want officers to know they have my full support and offenders should be brought to justice wherever possible.”

Rich said the figures were shocking but would come as no surprise to frontline officers who face the threat of violence on a daily basis.

He said: “It is an absolute disgrace that police officers should be subjected to these levels of violence while carrying out their duties.

“There is simply never an excuse for physically or verbally abusing a member of the emergency services and those who do carry out such attacks should be brought to justice and given the maximum sentence available to the courts.

“Our members are human beings and should not have to tolerate the threat of violence every time they report for duty. Like everyone else, they should be able to go home at the end of the day without having been attacked or injured. It is not, and never will be, just part of the job.”

Rich said the PCC report underlined Police Federation calls for all frontline officers to have access to Taser.

He said: “All our frontline officers deserve to be trained to carry Taser. The evidence suggests officers who carry these devices are nine times less likely to be assaulted. 

“We must do more to prevent such attacks happening in the first place and Taser is the safest alternative for all involved.

“It’s a no-brainer as far as we are concerned. Our members are safer when they are equipped with a Taser and there is no good reason why they all can’t have access to it.”

Rich said action was also needed to help officers whose mental health was being severely impacted as a result of the rising number of assaults against themselves and their colleagues.

The PCC board was shown a survey suggesting more than a third of West Midlands police officers are struggling with their mental wellbeing.

“The demands of the role, its impact on officers’ personal lives and a perceived lack of support from bosses were all listed as reasons the job was taking its toll on our members’ mental health and that should be a massive cause for concern,” said Rich.