Figures on officer assaults revealed

Figures on officer assaults revealed

Figures outlining the violence that police officers face in the line of duty have been revealed. Over the space of a year, there were 655 noted assaults against Avon and Somerset Police officers, for the first time, the extent of those assaults have been announced, with data from the Home Office showing that 236 of the assaults caused officers injury.

The elected head of policing in the area said that being slapped, kicked, bitten, spat at and punched had all become standard to emergency service personnel.
Meanwhile, the Police Federation has said the number of assaults nationally may actually be higher because of under reporting.

It is the first time that assaults causing injury to police officers have been recorded separately from those against members of the public. Assault against an officer without injury is recorded as a distinct offence. In the Avon and Somerset force area, there has been a 4% increase in recorded offenses since 2015/16 when the data began being published.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Sue Mountstevens, said: “While these figures are not a surprise, I read about police officer assaults every morning in a daily briefing report, they are no less shocking…
“All our emergency service workers, the police, paramedics, nurses and firefighters, deserve to be treated with respect and not face the threat of violence on a daily basis. Sadly, we know that being slapped, kicked, bitten, spat at and punched has become a regular occurrence for those undertaking these front-line roles.”

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said the Force offered physical and emotional support to assaulted officers and took perpetrators to court.

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