Police support

The police have had a bad press recently amid public concern about the rise in street violence and the failure to investigate serious crimes such as burglary. Chief officers blame Government cuts for reducing numbers. Ministers accuse the police of adopting the wrong priorities, and offenders are emboldened to break the law.

Many rank-and-file officers are unhappy with this state of affairs, where politicians invent new non-crimes to make themselves look good and then expect a depleted cadre of officers to provide the same coverage as before.

Moreover, the public is aware that these are the officers in the front-line who are expected to run towards danger. One of the consequences of the way the police have been transformed over the years from a force to a service is that the respect, even awe, that once attached to the uniform has broken down. Criminals are just as likely to attack an officer as try to escape or give themselves up.

The police deserve the protection of the law in such circumstances but are also entitled to the support of the public.

To that end, the report of how people stood back and filmed on their phones while thugs viciously assaulted two police officers, including a woman who came to the aid of her colleague, is depressing. Perhaps they thought they were helping to gather evidence. But dozens of people walked past the incident until a motorcyclist eventually stopped to help and the policeman was able to arrest his assailant.

The courts must deal severely with those who attack the police. But the public must also help when they can if they expect officers to put their bodies on the line for them.