Hungry for school

But they’ll do it with heavier hearts. It must get harder every day. The death of PC Andrew Harper will hang over the force for a long time.

None of it gets easier for our police officers.

The stresses of the job are incredible.

No one signs up to be a police officer expecting things to be easy.

But you do hold some basic expectations.

You expect to have the Government’s support.

You expect the the proper kit. You expect the support and respect of the public.

But in 2019, amazingly, tragically, none of those expectations are met.

The force is undermanned by tens of thousands.

Single crews are called out to dangerous incidents.

And the level of assaults on officers is almost beyond belief.

Nearly 31,000 were assaulted in England and Wales last year.

In London there were just short of 5,000 attacks on cops.

A dangerous job is becoming even more tough.

Boris Johnson has pledged another 20,000 officers.

But who would sign up at the moment?

We all need to do our bit and show that officers are respected and valued.

And the Government should lead by example.

Writing in today’s newspaper, Police Federation boss John Apter sums it up perfectly:

“Police officers do extraordinary things every day – protect the vulnerable, comfort the frightened, find the lost.”

We must never forget that. CHILDREN are approaching the end of their summer holidays.

Many won’t want to return to school after weeks of fun.

But others will be desperate to get back after enduring a summer of holiday hunger.

There is a growing reliance on food banks and charities to give food and activities to children.

In a country that has found £2billion for a no-deal Brexit, surely we could find money to end this shame.