Single crewing fears raised after jailing of police attacker

SOUTH Yorkshire Police Federation has raised concerns about single crewed police officers being sent to dangerous incidents after a man was jailed for attacking a lone Bobby with a CS canister.

Michael Dolan, 49, (pictured) had been drinking for seven hours and was pumped up on steroids when he attacked PC Glen Hill outside The Mail Coach pub in Rotherham on 12 November last year.

He was jailed for two years and eight months this week.

The landlord had reportedly asked Dolan, who was drinking with his two stepsons, to smoke his cigarette outside the pub but they had become rowdy and police were called.

PC Hill, who was single crewed, attempted to arrest Dolan’s stepson but was attacked. CCTV showed Dolan repeatedly punching PC Hill as he lay helpless on the ground – and using the officer’s ‘Pava’ spray as a weapon to beat him about the head.

Dolan, of Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 16 April for two years and eight months after admitting wounding the officer. PC Hill suffered cuts to his face and head which had to be glued and stitched, as well as psychological and emotional effects from the attack.

Following the sentencing, Neil Bowles, chairman of the South Yorkshire Police Federation, raised concerns about officers facing such situations alone.

“I am not against single crews per se,” he said. “But there has got to be some common sense applied when dispatching single crews to an incident. A disturbance in a public house is not a job for a single crew.

“The dispatcher should realise that. If no one else answered the radio, the supervisor needs to be informed so they can decide whether to stop another crew from dealing with something else and step in.”

Mr Bowles added that there were no local officers available to deal with the incident, suggesting that the force has “not got enough police officers to cope with the average demand on a weekday”.

In response, Ch Supt Jason Harwin, district police commander for Rotherham, said: “The result that was given in court highlights that assaulting officers is not acceptable.

“Single crewing is common practice across the country not just in South Yorkshire. We use intelligence to assess the threats and risk and will send double crews if necessary. More officers were attending the incident but were arriving in separate cars.

“On the day in question, we resourced staff accordingly, however any incident of an officer being assaulted is regrettable, but it is understood that policing does have it risks.

“Even though we have seen a reduction in budget, front line policing still remains a priority for South Yorkshire Police.”