‘Disgust’ as 11 police officers attacked
Local police officers – including volunteers – have been punched, kicked, headbutted and spat on in a series of assaults over a period of 24 hours, a representative of rank and file officers has said.
Inspector Andy Roebuck, chair of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, expressed his disgust on social media on Saturday morning.
He wrote on Twitter: “11 @Aspolice Officers inc @Aspspecials assaulted during the past 24hrs. A period of violence and abuse, with officers punched, kicked, headbutted and racially abused.
“(It’s) absolutely disgusting. I’ll speak with these officers, ensuring they’re looked after. I expect a number of charges.”
Mr Roebuck said one officer was left hospitalised with a dislocated shoulder, while another received racial abuse from a woman while doing their job.
Mr Roebuck, who represents 2,800 police officers, said: “It’s been a terrible time for the police force. These officers were attacked simply for the uniform they wear, by hellbent, feral members of the community.
“These people just want to assault any police officer and can be from any demographic – male or female. In order to make this a safer place, there has to be a deterrent from assaulting a police officer, whether they have slapped an officer or broken a bone. There needs to be a mandatory prison sentence – be it two months or two years in prison. Only then will people take this seriously.”
Mr Roebuck said assaults on police officers have been on a steady increase over the last few years, leading to calls from the federation to increase taser capacity, a process which is ongoing.
Personal safety training has now gone up from one day to two days and Mr Roebuck says the police force wants to ensure they send the right people with the right training out to certain calls.
Speaking about recent media coverage on policing, Mr Roebuck said he was “really disappointed with the reporting that’s been going on recently”.
He said: “If there is something we haven’t done correctly then, of course, there has to be some criticism and we will work hard to ensure we do things right. But there has been some very negative and damaging reporting, especially from national news, such as Sky and the BBC, who put a negative spin on things and who are not reporting the facts or getting the full picture. Sometimes we see a shortened video clip, with no explanation or justification.
“The vast majority of the police, and Avon and Somerset in particular, come to work to do their best to help, not to do the negative things reported in the press.”
Mr Roebuck said the assaulted officers were being looked after with ten of them returning to work the following day, while the eleventh continued treatment, he said.
Mr Roebuck added: “The officers assaulted in the attacks over the last 24 hours are mothers and fathers, ordinary people.
“I was assaulted while on the job some years ago and I can tell you that having to go home and look your five-year-old son in the eye when he asks you why you’re covered in cuts, bruises and swelling and tell him it’s all part of the job, is a really hard thing to do.
“Assaulting a police officer is assaulting society. There’s around 95 per cent of the population who are law-abiding citizens looking to us to keep us safe. If you assault one of us, you’re essentially assaulting them.”