Shocking increase in assaults on police

Violence: New figures show more than 30% rise in attacks on officers in Tayside and 14% increase in Fife

Two police officers are assaulted every day in Fife and Tayside on average, new figures have revealed.

More than 2,070 incidents have been recorded by police in Courier Country since January 2015.

A 21% rise for both regions combined was noted during 2016-2017 as officers face being punched, kicked and spat on daily.

Fife, which had a total of 1,046 assaults recorded for the three-year period, showed a 14% rise while Tayside had more than a 30% rise.

The data shows that 120 assaults were recorded in January and February this year.

The new figures have been blasted by former police officer and Kirkcaldy East SNP councillor Rod Cavanagh.

He said: “Nobody should have to go to their work fearing that they’re likely to be assaulted.

“The police are there to maintain the rule of law and order and also to assist people in their daily lives. Anyone who obstructs the police in this way is doing the community a major disservice as well as obviously the discomfort, fear and potential injury to the officers. This

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This increase is shocking. Among the law-abiding population there is a recognition that we ask the police to keep us safe. They deserve our respect. ROD CAVANAGH

increase is reprehensible. Among the law-abiding population there is a recognition that we ask police officers on our behalf to police our communities and keep us safe.

“They deserve our respect in recognition of the fact that they are what stand between us and anarchy.”

Concerns have been raised that the number of recorded police assaults, released to The Courier following a Freedom of Information request, may not be entirely accurate.

Andrea Macdonald, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “The levels of assaults on police officers in Scotland are far too high. Currently, we have concerns that Police Scotland is not collecting accurate figures. Our figures, gleaned from our investigations and the Crown Office, is that every year there are over 6,000 police officers assaulted.

“The number of cases which go through some of our courts are far too few because too many of them are plea bargained away.

“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?

“Our aim is to protect the public, but for us to be able to do that we must be able to protect ourselves and the courts and other authorities need to play their parts. The ill-founded notion that assaults on police are seen as an occupational hazard is totally unacceptable.

“There needs to be a deterrent to stop any individual who feels that assaulting a police officer is part of a night out.

“Those sentencing need to explain why imprisonment is not used if alternative disposals are applied.”

svestty@thecourier.co.uk