Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Tasers call to cut attacks on police
ASSAULTS on Tayside police officers have been reported every day on average for the past three years, new figures reveal.
Data from the force’s internal HR systems show officers in the region self-reported 1,167 assaults between April 1 2019 and March 8 this year, the equivalent of more than one a day.
This is the third highest total in Scotland after Lanarkshire and Greater Glasgow.
The number of attacks reported in Tayside has also increased from 340 in 2019-20 to 435 in 2021-22 –a rising trend mirrored in all 13 of Scotland’s police divisions.
Based on divisional staff numbers for March, the region also has the third highest assault rate per 100 officers after Lanarkshire and Forth Valley.
Biting, kicking, punching, spitting and headbutting were among the most common types of assault in Tayside during the past year, with four reports involving a sharp or bladed weapon and 15 with objects being thrown.
The statistics, obtained under freedom of information laws, show police across Scotland have reported just over 10,000 assaults in the past three years, increasing from 2,580 in 2019/20 to 4,317 in the latest annual period.
Scottish Police Federation chairman, David Hamilton, said: “These are truly shocking figures and underpin the dangers that police officers face in their daily duties – police officers who are mothers, fathers, daughters and sons, police officers who have taken an oath to protect their communities.
“Police officers need to see the rollout of Tasers accelerated and expanded, more deterrent sentences and of course, an increase in police officer numbers.”
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said the number of specially-trained officers who carry a Taser will rise from around 500 to 2,000 in the next three years.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Police Scotland officers and staff work with dedication to help people in need and violence against them is utterly deplorable and unacceptable. It is not simply part of the job and will not be tolerated.”