Assaults on police officers spiked during the first lockdown
ASSAULTS on police officers in Leicestershire spiked during the first lockdown - and now offenders have been warned they will “face the full force of the law” as tough restrictions are reintroduced.
Figures show there were a total of 154 assaults against police officers during the first quarter of 2020/21, between April and June.
That includes 43 attacks that resulted in an officer receiving an injury.
During those months, Britain was under strict lockdown conditions which meant schools were closed, along with most shops and businesses, while members of the public were told to stay home and not to mix with other households.
Restrictions began to be eased in June, when some children returned to school and non-essential shops were allowed to reopen.
Most types of crime fell during lockdown, but the figures show assaults on police officers bucked the trend.
During the first quarter in 2019/20, there were 92 assaults on police officers in Leicestershire, which included 18 which resulted in an injury.
That means there were 62 more attacks on officers during the lockdown, a rise of 67 per cent.
Most of those lockdown assaults - 94, including 29 which caused an injury - took place in Leicester. There were also 19 in Charnwood, and 10 in Oadby and Wigston.
Nationally, there were a total of 8,921 assaults on police officers between April and June last year.
That is up by 1,021 on the 7,900 attacks on officers the previous year, a rise of 13 per cent.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK is to go back under lockdown after a surge of new infections over the Christmas period, which have been blamed on a new variant of Covid-19.
It means people are now only allowed to leave home for a number of permitted reasons, such as shopping for basic essentials, for exercise or for medical purposes.
It falls once again on police officers to ensure the new strict rules are being followed - at a time when the crisis has already affected morale in the force.
A recent survey carried out by the Police Federation - which represents rank and file officers - found that more than three quarters (76 per cent) felt they were not paid enough to deal with all the added complications Covid-19 has brought to their jobs.
Two out of three officers (65 per cent) also said the pandemic has had a negative impact on their morale.
Ché Donald, vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), said he was “appalled” by the surge in assaults, which he called, “totally unacceptable”. He added: “Police officers and other emergency workers who serve the public do not deserve to be assaulted for simply doing their jobs. “Those who commit these despicable offences must be harshly dealt with by the courts and face the full force of the law. “PFEW will continue our campaign to increase sentences against those who assault us through our ‘Protect The Protectors’ campaign. It is vital to safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of police officers and ensure courts issue tougher sentences for those who assault emergency service workers.”
Meanwhile, the Home Office has announced legislation to double the maximum sentence for anyone who assaults any emergency worker, including police officers, from one year to two.
A Government spokesperson said: “Being attacked should never be part of the job and perpetrators must face the full force of the law.
“That is why we are doubling the maximum sentence for those who assault emergency workers.
“This year, as well as continuing to recruit 20,000 additional police officers, we will enshrine a police covenant in law to provide better support and protection for our brave officers, staff, and their families.”