THAT was South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent\u2019s response to new figures showing that 37,000 physical assaults on police officers took place across England and Wales in the year ending March 2021, with figures expected to increase even further for the next year.<\/p>\n
Steve said that the risk to officers on the streets was \u201cappalling at the minute\u201d.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cOfficers are going out there with their heads down. They\u2019re going out embarrassed, and they shouldn\u2019t be. They should be going out and being proud.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe force\u2019s charge rate for assaults on police officers is well over 90%. It\u2019s very good. What\u2019s happening is that the courts are letting us down. For example, two months ago an officer suffered lacerations to his eyeballs and the person walked free from court with a suspended sentence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say it until I\u2019m blue in the face: any assault on a police officer involving a serious injury should be automatic jail. No ifs, no buts. We\u2019re talking about broken noses, black eyes, cuts, bites, something that leaves a lasting effect. The message will get out and people will think twice.\u201d<\/p>\n
PFEW Chair Steve Hartshorn told LBC Radio last week: “Being hit, kicked, potentially shot at, spat at, coughed in your face when someone tells you they\u2019ve got a really incredibly horrible disease\u2026 It has an effect \u2013 it doesn\u2019t ever go away. People underestimate that we are human beings, it does hurt and it\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n