Scottish Police Federation ask the courts to do more to protect officers

THE Crown and Courts must do more to support police officers who have been subject to attacks at work, the Scottish Police Federation has said.

Andrea MacDonald, Federation Chair, said too many offenders are being released from custody after committing officer assaults.

Speaking at the biennial Scottish Police Federation Conference, Andrea said: “On Christmas Day two officers, who were keeping our communities safe instead of celebrating with their families, were assaulted.

“The culprit was arrested, however he was home tucking into his turkey before the officers, who had been assaulted, had even finished their shift.”

She also referred to a case where a man received a two-and-a-half year jail sentence after spitting at a Sheriff.

Andrea said: “If that man had spat on a police officer, it would have been highly likely that the charge would have been plea bargained away. That is the reality of how the criminal justice system deals with assaults on police officers.”

She told the Cabinet Secretary: “We ask that you fight to ensure that anyone who assaults a police officer should, at the very least, be held in custody to appear in court the next day. Will you do that?

“The injustice is further compounded as police officers are now effectively discouraged from claiming criminal injuries compensation as assault is almost deemed to be an occupational hazard – this is entirely unacceptable! …We demand the level of protection that our members deserve. Spitting on or assaulting a police officer is no lesser a crime than spitting on a sheriff.”

Nine in ten police officers want to be issued with Taser while 64% said they would like access to a handgun, the conference heard, marking a “a significant shift in attitude”.

Andrea added: “We know that you know, the threat level against police officers is real. We know that you know, that we can’t be complacent as recent events at Glasgow University have demonstrated.

“Cabinet Secretary you need to give this serious consideration and ensure that all police officers are issued with Taser as part of their personal protective equipment and that their safety and that of the public is not compromised by some for political point scoring.”

In a wide-ranging speech, Andrea also called on the Government to oppose the parking levy. She said: “Imposing this parking levy does nothing to mitigate the risks police officers face, nor is it realistic to expect a desperately underfunded police service to bear that burden.”