EMERGENCY service workers are uniting as one in their support of a new law aimed at introducing tougher sentences for those who might take their lives them, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n
The Harpers Law campaign was launched by Lissie Harper after her Thames Valley Police Officer husband Andrew was killed on duty last year.<\/p>\n
If successful, it could see\u00a0criminals convicted of killing emergency services workers be jailed for life.<\/p>\n
PC Harper’s killers\u00a0Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder.<\/p>\n
Long was jailed for 16 years and Bowers and Cole for 13 years.<\/p>\n
The Attorney General is currently reviewing their sentences to see if they were too lenient.<\/p>\n
“If there could be any positive from such a horrendous incident it’s that the public and the emergency services across the country are uniting behind Lissie and Harper’s Law,” South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said.<\/p>\n
“You can’t allow officers and other emergency staff workers to lose their lives in the line of duty and for proper justice not to be dealt.<\/p>\n
“That is something that needs to be looked at. It’s something that I’ve seen universal backing for.<\/p>\n
“People need to know the deterrent out there if they attack emergency service workers and what it’s going to result in down the line.”<\/p>\n
Steve said he was proud of the work of his colleagues at Thames Valley Police Federation had done and how they were helping Lissie with the campaign.<\/p>\n
“I’m proud to be part of an organisation that is helping to drive this,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Our colleagues in Thames Valley are doing a sterling job with it, and obviously it’s been shared nationally. Whenever I’ve put media out about it recently, people do interact with it; they share it. So the message is getting out there.<\/p>\n
“That\u2019s our job, and we\u2019re proud to do it because we need to raise awareness. I think the sentences for those three individuals have sickened the British public, so we need to push our points and to back Lissie in this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n