A new report revealing that police officers and staff are assaulted an average of 115 times every day is ‘deeply concerning’, says Cambridgeshire Police Federation chair.
Liz Groom renewed the Federation’s call for those who attack officers to be given the toughest possible sentences.
She said: “Violence on this kind of scale should stop everyone in their tracks.
“These aren’t just numbers, these are people who are going to work to serve their communities and are being subjected to abuse and attacks.
“They are mums and dads, sons and daughters, and they shouldn’t have to face physical and verbal assaults just because of their uniform.
“The sheer scale of attacks on our colleagues is deeply concerning and completely unacceptable.”
The figures are included in the latest annual Police Covenant report. It states that there are more than 42,000 incidents of assault every year on officers and staff across England and Wales.
Liz said: “Police officers are part of our communities, and an attack on one officer is an attack on our community.
“These attacks leave physical injuries on our members and then there is also the long-term psychological trauma.
“They must never be part of the job.”
Following a successful campaign by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), the sentence for those who assaulted emergency services was increased to two years’ imprisonment.
And Liz urged the courts to send out a message by using the full weight of the law when sentencing those who attack police officers and staff.
She said: “The law is there to protect police officers and staff, and it needs to be used to support our members and reflect the seriousness of attacking them.
“It also needs to be used to deter future attacks. The weak sentences currently being handed down send the wrong signal.”
The Police Covenant report also says that the true scale of assaults on officers is not actually known because of problems with data collection.
Work to address the issue of attacks is being done through Operation Hampshire. Under Operation Hampshire, forces are required to take senior-level responsibility for tackling assaults, implement a structured prevention plan, and improve data collection to build a clearer picture of risk.
New digital reporting tools are also helping officers record incidents more efficiently, enabling faster welfare support and clearer identification of risk patterns.
In addition, HMICFRS inspections now place greater emphasis on how forces respond to assaults and care for affected officers and staff.
And PFEW’s Copped Enough campaign calls for better protection and support for officers.
Liz said: “The vast majority of people support the police, but there is a large minority who, for some reason, think it is acceptable to attack us in our job.
“Our members have Copped Enough and things need to change.
“Attacks on our colleagues must be met with decisive action and the full weight of the law.”