Operation Hampshire coordinator Dave Brewster has echoed calls made by the chair of West Midlands Police Federation for tougher sentencing for those who assault cops after two officers had blood spat in their faces.

 

Dave Brewster says ‘assaults against our colleagues are assaults against society’, as he assures members he will ‘keep pushing’ to ensure they get the support and justice deserved.

Dave is urging members to report assaults after Rich Cooke warned that officers were increasingly becoming the victims of such attacks in the West Midlands, the latest being two cops having blood spat in their faces when attending an incident.

“I can personally relate to this story. Anyone who has sat through one of my presentations will know that the impact of spitting is something that I believe has to be taken more seriously,” said Dave, who worked alongside the National Police Wellbeing Service, Oscar Kilo, to launch Op Hampshire, which is designed to prevent and combat assaults on officers by providing consistent guidance and process throughout forces across the country.

“Assaults against our colleagues are assaults against society and there must be a meaningful deterrent at the end of the criminal justice process.

“Without that, all of the effort we are making is undermined and there is a danger that it leaves people feeling there is little point in reporting assaults.” 

Since the launch of Op Hampshire, Dave has been working closely with leads across the UK to develop a pool of knowledge so that every force is represented and can share their experiences to help tackle the issue of assaults together.

More recently, online trauma training has been introduced in every force, as well as the free Operation Hampshire app which enables simple and consistent recording of incidents of assault against officers.

“My message to members is that there absolutely is a point in reporting assaults,” continued Dave.

“We need to know what’s happening and we will keep pushing to ensure you get the support and justice you deserve.”

The latest attack of its kind in the West Midlands occurred in Dudley on Monday 31 July.

Rich explained: “These two officers were assaulted in the most vile way. They responded to reports of an individual who was in distress. The suspect spat blood in their face and eyes after self harming. This was a revolting, traumatic experience that no one should have to face.”

Rich called for ‘those convicted of such an attack’ to ‘face severe consequences’.

He added: “Judges and magistrates must use the sentencing powers they have to their full extent to ensure those who assault police officers and other emergency service workers receive the maximum tariff sentences available.”

As part of the next Op Hampshire phase, Dave - along with the team at Oscar Kilo - is hoping to look at the wider impact assaults on police officers have on society.

Oscar Kilo director Andy Rhodes said: “We totally recognise these issues and believe that justice and a sense of justice is an important part of the wellbeing journey for victims.

“We believe there are clear links to assaults on police officers and the effect on wider society and through the Police Covenant we will be working with stakeholders to ascertain a much clearer picture of the issue in order to identify improvements in support of our colleagues.”