Who would be a copper?

in The early hours of Saturday morning, outside an illegal rave in deptford, Metropolitan police officers on duty were subjected to a vicious attack by a mob, doubtless high on a cocktail of drink and drugs.

Five officers were injured. They were punched, kicked and had cigarettes stubbed out on them.

The incident was largely ignored by the national media. Yet days before, a short distance away, police responding to what appeared to be a routine call to a disturbance in a cafe were attacked by 50 schoolchildren. Again, officers were injured.

These aren’t isolated examples. Any frontline officer will tell you that assaults on, and abuse of, police are increasing at a frightening rate.

These can range from spitting (this latter escalating in frequency since the furore surrounding the use of spit hoods) to attacks like those mentioned above and driving a motor vehicle at an officer.

no police officer would dispute that transgressions committed by colleagues should be subject to public scrutiny, yet the headlines seem to focus solely on these transgressions, giving a totally unbalanced view of UK policing.

Acts of remarkable bravery by police that occur daily are ignored as are countless examples of kindness and compassion above and beyond the call of duty.

All this needs to be seen against a background of increasingly violent crime, the constant threat of a terrorist attack and an everthinning blue line.

in both the UK and the U.S., frontline officers believe that constant, unbalanced vilification by the media and politicians significantly increases the dangers they face on the streets.

if politicians are seen to be constantly denigrating police, then it is but a small step for drug-addled thugs to attack police at an illegal deptford rave. CHRIS HOBBS, (retired Met police officer), London W7.