WE DON’T WANT TO COME TO WORK TO GET ASSAULTED SAY POLICE LEADERS

POLICE leaders said yesterday they would tell officers to let violent suspects go if they were not “backed up” following the attack on PC Lorraine McGinty.

Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said it was not worth officers putting themselves at risk if they were going to be assaulted just for doing their job.

“Are we now in a society where, if we think we can’t detain somebody, we just let them go? It’s just not worth it. We’re going to come to a point where we’re going to start pushing messages out to our colleagues: ‘Risk-assess it and, if you think you can’t detain a person, just let them go.’

“We don’t come to work to get assaulted – and if we’re not going to be backed up in what we’re doing, then what is the point?”

He said that the Assaults On Emergency Workers (Offences) Act would only help if it was legislated correctly and the powers were used.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick responded by calling on the public to step in if they see officers “getting a kicking”.

She said filming attacks on police and mockingly posting the footage online was “awful”.

Ms Dick added: “If you see an officer getting a kicking and you feel able to assist, absolutely I want the public getting involved.

“Officers getting assaulted and people thinking that’s funny and putting it on the internet. I think that’s disgusting.”