ACTION AGAINST VIOLENCE
ASSAULTS ON POLICE OFFICERS: A CALL TO ACTION
THE RISING TIDE OF
Police officers, as society’s protectors, face significant personal risk while maintaining law and order
police officers avoid custodial sentences. Such cases highlight the need for a stricter approach from the criminal justice system. Some judges fail to take these assaults seriously, ultimately failing the victims— those who risk their lives for community safety. Assaults on police officers should never be seen as just part of the job; they must be met with the full force of the law, ensuring swift justice and protection for the victims.
The rising number of assaults on police officers in England and Wales is alarming. By the end of March 2024, there were 45,907 assaults recorded - a staggering 13 per cent increase of 5,577 attacks on the previous year.
On average, that is 126 assaults on police officers every day. This statistic starkly highlights the dangers officers face and underscores the ongoing nature of the problem. Assaults on police officers
Ensuring their safety and wellbeing is paramount, and improvements are long overdue. Police forces and the Government must work together tirelessly to reduce the frequency of these assaults, providing better protection and support through improved equipment, training, and safer staffing practices.
and staff should never be normalised. These dedicated individuals do not take on their roles expecting to be assaulted. Such attacks are not merely occupational hazards; they are serious crimes and must be treated as such. Violence should never be an accepted part of a police officer’s duty.
A critical issue that needs addressing is the lack of adequate protection and support for officers injured on duty.
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“Police officers and our staff colleagues have the right to be seen and treated as victims, and showing impact and any vulnerability is part of the evidential process.”
The role of police officers has evolved significantly. They are now not only law enforcers but also community caretakers and first responders to those in mental health crises or medical emergencies, especially when ambulance services are delayed. It is troubling when criminals who assault
Earlier this year, PC Niamh Harriman from Leicestershire Police was badly injured when she was run over by a car. She was left with a sprained hip, cuts and grazes on her hands and face, a swollen ankle and foot and a large haematoma bruise on her thigh when they went out on a call and were tasked with removing children from a woman under section 46 of the Children Act 1989, as they were concerned for their safety. The woman, who didn’t have a driving licence, attempted to drive off with one of her children. PC Harriman leant into the car through the open passenger door to try to get the car keys, but the woman started the engine, put her foot on the reverse pedal and drove over the officer’s foot. PC Harriman was knocked to the ground by the car door, went under the door and then the woman reversed over her thigh. The woman kept reversing the car until she crashed into another vehicle, at which point PC Harriman’s colleagues arrested her for dangerous driving and assault on an emergency worker. The suspect later went to court and pleaded guilty to driving otherwise in accordance with
a licence, failing to provide a sample of breath, dangerous driving and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker. In May, at Leicester Crown Court, she was handed a 52-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, given a drug rehabilitation order and was disqualified from driving.
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