SOUTH Yorkshire Police should document the impact of assaults on officers and their families as part of the Police Federation of England and Wales #ProtectTheProtectors campaign.<\/p>\n
The PFEW wants Chief Constables across the country to write personal impact statements for use during sentencing to ensure the effect on officers and their families are taken into consideration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really key that when officers are the victims of assault they receive the same level of treatment and care that the public do\u201d, says South Yorkshire Federation Chair Zuleika Payne.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssaults obviously shouldn\u2019t be part of the job. It\u2019s a dangerous line of work and comes with a certain element of risk, but when officers are attacked they should be supported and looked after.\u201d<\/p>\n
She believes that level of support would be enhanced by the wider use of impact statements.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s different, the effects that an incident has on individuals is different, and it\u2019s extremely important that we capture that and we get endorsement and support from our senior leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about demonstrating how much they value their staff.\u201d<\/p>\n