Lack Of Respect Is Driving Assaults On Police

A ‘FUNDAMENTAL’ lack of respect for authority is behind the spiralling rise in violent assaults on police officers, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Across the country, officers have recently been attacked with knives and other weapons alongside the sadly more routine punches and kicks they face on the frontline.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent (pictured) has bemoaned the lack of respect for police officers and emergency service workers saying the rise in assaults stems from a change in societal values.

He said: “It’s an epidemic – the respect has gone and there’s no deterrent.

“Attacks on policing seem to have got worse in recent years and it seems to me that the public are happier to take on police and to violently resist us and attack us.

“There seems to be a fundamental lack of respect of authority across the board, as we’ve seen with similar attacks on paramedics and our emergency service colleagues.”

The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act allows the courts to impose tougher tariffs on those who carry out assaults – with a year in prison now the maximum sentence.

Steve said the legislation is a good start, but added that it must be administered properly through the judicial system.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council is also set to discuss how to combat assaults on officers at an emergency summit in September.

Steve added: “It’s unfortunate that it’s taken so many high-profile assaults and the horrendous death of [Thames Valley Police Officer] Andrew Harper to get the public’s attention.

“We need to keep pushing as a Federation, both locally and nationally, to make sure things change. Enough is enough.

“The law change has given increased sentencing powers, but those sentencing powers are not being given. So, we need to expand on that, we need to push that forward now into a new Bill which makes it an aggravating factor, full stop, for assaults on police.

“I think the public would back it, there’s absolutely no reason why there shouldn’t now be a push forward.”