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Chief says attacks on officers should attract appropriate sanction from the criminal justice system.

A chief constable has said he is increasingly concerned about the “terrifying circumstances” officers are finding themselves in.

Wiltshire Chief Constable Mike Veale said that those who put their own safety on the line to protect the public should not have to deal with unacceptable assaults or attacks.

Latest figures by the Police Federation of England and Wales suggest there are potentially more than two million unarmed physical assaults on officers over a 12 month period and that an assault happens every four minutes.

Data for Wiltshire revealed that 72 per cent of respondents to the Police Federation's Welfare survey had been a victim of unarmed physical violence at least once in the last year, while 36 per cent said someone had used a deadly weapon against at least once in the same time period.

“Every day, brave and dedicated officers and staff face difficult, demanding and sometimes dangerous situations that the majority of the public thankfully may never have to witness or deal with,” said cc Veale.

“While those in public services may run towards danger when others run away, that is no reason to believe that assaults are an accepted part of the job, or an occupational hazard of being a police officer or police staff member.

“They are criminal assaults which should attract appropriate sanction from the criminal justice system which should be delivered swiftly and commensurately with not just the injuries sustained, but the incredible fear my colleagues can sometimes face.”

CC Veale said that he personally speaks to any officers and staff who have been assaulted or inured on duty and that at the time of writing he had six emails in his inbox notifying him of officers and staff injured in recent days.

He added during his time as chief, resources and capacity within occupational health facilities has increased and he delivers compensation directly to any officer who is awarded it by the courts following an assault, instead of them waiting months to receive it from the attacker.

“I have also made a commitment to increase officers and staff protective equipment so they can protect themselves better. I now have 800 body worn cameras which will be deployed to my operational officers and staff so that we can more accurately capture evidence of criminality, which includes abuse and threats to my officers and staff,” he said.

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