Police officers are offered spit guards

LEICESTERSHIRE Police officers are being asked whether they want to be equipped with spitguards to protect them from aggressive prisoners

Made of a fine, mesh fabric, the guards are placed over a detained person’s head if they begin spitting at or trying to bite arresting officers.

Diseases such as TB and hepatitis can be carried in saliva.

The question is being asked by Leicestershire Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers.

In October, the federation reported a rising tide of violence against officers

However, only a small number of police forces currently use spit-guards and some civil liberties groups are opposed to their use.

Tiff Lynch, chairman of Leicestershire Police Federation, said it was asking its members whether they believed they should be able to use them too.

Ms Lynch, who underwent months of medical tests seven years ago after she was bitten by a druguser, said the federation would be guided by the membership.

She said: “We can’t condone any form of assault on police officers, let alone spitting or biting.

“We are looking at how many incidents of spitting are being reported by officers here in Leicestershire before we take a view and speak to the force.

“The alarm bells start ringing when you are spat at or bitten and the skin is broken.

“On that first visit to A&E you are told you have to go through so many procedures before they can tell you whether or not you’ve been infected.

“You have to carry on with business as usual until you get those test results – and that can take up to six months.

“It’s mental torture. I had that experience as a street cop in 2009.

“In my case it was a bite by a woman who was high on drugs and it was a very difficult time before I got the allclear.”

A number of officers have privately told the Leicester Mercury they had been spat at when arresting suspects.

One said: “Frankly, I’d rather be punched than spat at.

“Spitting in someone’s face is vile.

“There are all kinds of diseases which can be spread this way and the testing which is then necessary can take months.

“I don’t know whether we’ll get these spitguards, but I would welcome them.”

Amnesty International’s UK Arms Programme Director Oliver Sprague said: “Spit hoods can be a cruel and dangerous form of restraint.

“We want to see the brakes put on their introduction whilst proper consultation is carried out and assurances are given about the models that can be used, the precise circumstances in which they should be used and the full medical implications of putting these hoods over peoples’ heads.”

A spokeswoman for .Leicestershire Police said the force would await the outcome of the federation’s consultation.