Severe Penalties Needed For Those Who Assault Police Officers

Hampshire Police Federation has called on the Government to bring in severe penalties to deliver speedy justice against offenders who assault police officers.

It followed the BBC revealing 125 officers in England and Wales were being assaulted at work on a daily basis.

Zoe Wakefield, the outgoing Federation Chair, said the issue was being felt in Hampshire, where there has been an average of four assaults each day for the past few years.

She urged the Government to help speed up court proceedings for crimes against emergency workers, similar to how rapid justice was delivered in light of riots over the summer.

Zoe said: “It makes you wonder that if there was a combined effort across the country… Would we actually see a drop in officers being assaulted?

“At the moment, what is the deterrent? Most of them just get a smack on the wrist or a suspended sentence and the next day they’re back out there, available to assault another officer.

“I think the answer is to have really, really harsh penalties.”

Zoe said some officers were being assaulted as many as five times a year, leaving them fearing for their safety when responding to incidents or patrolling.

She continued: “The problem is there isn’t the backing there by the courts and the Government to actually lock these people up.

“[During the riots] they did take a very, very robust approach, and suddenly people were getting locked up for assaulting police officers connected with the riots.

“Actually, the whole violence for the riots just stopped.”

Zoe also called on the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure it follows through with prosecutions to ensure emergency workers are protected.