Police officer assaults: #ProtectTheProtectors bill must be properly enforced in court

THERE’S been an ‘alarming’ rise in the number of police officers assaulted on the streets of Essex, new figures have revealed.

The Office for National Statistics show there are now 19 assaults on police officers in the county every week, up nearly 25% over the past year.

The results make Essex the fourth worst in England and Wales for police assaults.

Essex Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor says ensuring thugs who attack police colleagues are properly dealt with by the courts is part of the solution.

But he is buoyed by the fact that officers now appear to be more willing to come forward and report assaults.

“It’s alarming the number of officers reporting assaults is increasing although it’s encouraging that they feel that they can report the assault,” he said.

“I think the message is out there that it’s not acceptable to assault officers and that officers being assaulted as a result of their duty is not ‘them just doing their job’. It is not acceptable. So, we’re getting that message through.

“That’s being reflected in charges and suspects going to court.”

The ‘Protect the Protectors’ Assaults on Emergency Workers (offences) act 2018 provides courts with increased sentencing powers to punish yobs who assault officers with up to a year in prison.

However, it needs to be enforced in county courts and magistrates says Steve.

“What we are yet to see is significant improvement in how those suspects are dealt with at court. Yet again we are relying on our partners in the criminal justice system and the wider system, to send the right message.

“This piece of legislation could be powerful if the deterrent element was reinforced by our partners in the criminal justice system. So, we look for them to be as stern as they need to be in order to send that message because it’s the whole package of this legislation that will reap the best rewards, not just little bits of it.”