Immensely Proud Of South Yorkshire Officers Following Riots

The Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation said he was “immensely proud” of his colleagues who policed last month’s riots and helped bring offenders to justice.

Over 60 South Yorkshire Police officers were injured in the violence that broke out outside the Holiday Inn in Manvers, Rotherham on 4 August. Officers suffered injuries including broken bones, concussion and head wounds.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: “I’m immensely proud of our colleagues, and especially the ones on the front line who were working unbelievably long hours, being assaulted, being absolutely exhausted.

“I also want to pay tribute to the detectives who have worked incredibly long hours to bring those offenders to justice. It’s been a real team effort. Don’t get me wrong, there’s probably learning to come from it. But our officers put themselves in the limelight and they’ve been rightly recognised by the courts, for once, and the public for the unbelievable job that they’ve done.

“They can be incredibly proud of themselves, for having to work in some of the most hostile conditions we’ve seen in the last 25 years of South Yorkshire Police.”

Steve described the riots as “absolutely horrendous” and encouraged any officers who had been injured or traumatised by the events to seek help from the Federation.

He said: “It’s a miracle no one’s been seriously injured. We as a Federation are doing our absolute best to support our officers. We’ve made sure that any officer who was injured can come to us for physiotherapy. Anyone can come to us for counselling. Anyone can email us if they want to have a chat, and that offer is ongoing.”

Following the riots, the Police Treatment Centre near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was inundated with applications from police officers who had been injured in the unrest.

Steve said: “I want to pay credit to our Federation Secretary, Dave Baines, who came up with a really good idea and raised it at a national level about the need for funding from central Government for officers to go to the Police Treatment Centres.

“That suggestion was taken up by the national Federation and, as we know through recent announcements, the Government invested money into this. So I’m really pleased.

“Well done to Dave for putting that out there and making sure that our officers who were injured, not just physically but mentally, got the opportunity to go to the PTC as part of their recuperation, because it’s going to take months and months of healing for some of these cops who have been through this horrendous experience.”