20 assaults on officers every week

POLICE are the victims of more than 20 assaults every week in the West Midlands, figures have revealed.

A Black Country MP has now demanded that the Government takes steps to keep officers safe from attacks, after an event in Parliament highlighting the extent of the problem.

During the “Protect the Protectors” event, Warley Labour MP John Spellar met with members of the Police Federation and serving officers to discuss the assault figures.

Home Office statistics show there were 1,188 assaults on officers employed by West Midlands Police in the 12 months up to March 31, 2016.

That amounts to 22 assaults every week, on average – and they include 628 incidents which resulted in an officer being injured.

It was also revealed this week that more than half of rank-and-file officers at West Midlands Police say their morale is at rock-bottom.

The annual Pay And Morale Survey by the Police Federation found 57.4 per cent said their personal morale was low, compared to 55.9 per cent nationally

And 92.6 per cent felt morale within the West Midlands force was generally low. The national figure is 89.5 per cent.

Mr Spellar said: “An assault on a police officer is an assault on society and more needs to be done to keep them safe.

“Officers accept the risk and the public also understand the dangers of the job, but the amount of assaults taking place is alarming.

“This campaign is about asking the Home Office to record all instances of assaults on officers. This will enable us to really understand the scale of the problem, and do something about it.

“We are also calling for tougher sentences for those who assault the police.

“The courts must be able to provide a strong deterrent against attacks on our frontline officers.”