Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘If assaulting a police officer doesn’t mean jail, then what does?’
THE number of assaults on police remains “far too high” and tougher prison sentences are needed to discourage it, the Scottish Police Federation has said.
The body, which represents 98% of Scotland’s police officers, told the Tele that attacks on police should not be seen as an “occupational hazard”.
Since the start of this year alone, dozens of cases have called at Dundee Sheriff Court involving assaults on officers.
Many cases see officers become victims of crime while responding to incidents. In cases covered this year, police have been butted, bitten and spat on while doing their job — sometimes in the holding cells of police stations. Several cases resulted in assailants being jailed.
Others saw non-custodial sentences dished out, such as compensation orders.
However, Andrea MacDonald, chairwoman of the SPF, said prison sentences should always be considered for those who attack officers in the line of duty. The SPF estimates that more than 6,000 Scottish police officers are assaulted each year.
Ms MacDonald said: “The levels of assaults on police officers in Scotland are far too high. The number of cases which go through some of our courts are far too few because too many of them are plea bargained away. (Plea bargaining is an arrangement between the prosecutor and defendant whereby the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a more lenient sentence or an agreement to drop other charges.)
“The sentences passed don’t act as a deterrent. We are not calling for mandatory sentences, but we need to ask if an assault on a police officer does not merit a custodial sentence, what does?
“Anyone who assaults a police officer should appear in court on the next lawful day and those sentencing need to explain why imprisonment is not used if alternative disposals are applied,” she said.
Police officers in Scotland were given their first specialist personal protective equipment (PPE) 25 years ago with the introduction of rigid handcuffs, followed by side-handled batons, body armour and CS spray.
Ms MacDonald said she supported an ongoing trial of body cameras in the Grampian area, as well as a move to train 500 extra officers in the use of tasers, announced last December.
These plans, she said, would make officers feel safer in the line of duty.
“We can’t rest on our laurels. We need to l ook at how society is changing when we re-evaulate our PPE,” she added.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said it takes all assaults suffered by officers “extremely seriously”, adding: “Any assault on an officer is unacceptable.”
Sentencing in Scotland is decided by the judge presiding over each individual case.
However, the Scottish Sentencing Council was formed in 2015 in a bid to bring rigidity to sentences dished out for certain offences.
A spokeswoman for the council, which is yet to issue its first formal guidelines, said: “We welcome views from organisations and individuals on what guidelines we should prepare in the future and what topics may benefit from further research.” Ourvoice