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Protect The Protectors

Online petition calls for we rely on most “is plain unacceptable and we
Mr Bryant says that assaults on the people

better protection for politicians must do everything in our power to
try and curb this spiral of violence against
emergency workers”.
Mr Bryant went on to say: “I hope this
emergency service workers won’t mean lots more people will go to prison,
but that people will think long and hard
before attacking an emergency worker. We
ard on the heels of the West Midlands Private Members’ have to stop the violence. We have to protect
Police Federation’s ongoing Cuts Have Bill calling for the protectors. Write to your MP to tell them
HConsequences campaign an online better legal and to be in Parliament on 20 October to back our
petition was launched last month by the practical Bill.”
Police Federation of England and Wales asking protections for Calum Macleod, vice chair of the Police
the public to support improved protection for police officers and Federation of England and Wales, presented
their emergency service workers. other emergency the campaign at the Emergency Services
The launch on 20 September coincided service workers is Show and said: “The change that we are
with Day 1 of the Emergency Services Show in currently making asking for will really make a difference, not
Birmingham and aims to show how much its way through only for police officers, but also for our
support there is for emergency service Parliament,” says emergency service colleagues who are out
workers as part of the Federation’s Protect the Steve Grange, Chris Bryant MP. there doing a very tough job in extremely
Protectors campaign. secretary of West difficult circumstances.
The campaign is pushing for a change in Midlands Police Federation. “These are the people we all rely on and
legislation to impose tougher sentences on “We have written to our own region’s MPs they deserve our support and a change in the
those who assault an emergency service asking them to get behind the police service law so that they are better protected. By
worker. It is hoped that this will act as a and if people sign the online petition perhaps taking the campaign to the Emergency
strong deterrent in light of a currently more of our representatives in Parliament will Services Show we can spread the word with a
unaccepted level of violence as it is estimated feel compelled to speak out in support of us.” view to working more collaboratively with our
that an assault on a police officer takes place The issue has already been heard in the blue light colleagues to effect the change that
every four minutes. House of Commons via a Private Members’ Bill, is so badly needed.”
“We hope that as many people as possible raised by Chris Bryant MP - a second reading of You can sign the petition at
will sign the petition, particularly since a the Bill is due to take place on 20 October. https://tinyurl.com/tassault

Assaults stats: “we Armed policing survey: the results
Two thirds of officers don’t want to be routinely armed, according to the
need a consistent results of the latest Police Federation of England and Wales survey on
the issue.
approach” routine arming, compared to 23 per cent in 2006, the last time a similar
Just over a third (34 per cent) personally supported the idea of
survey was conducted by the national Federation.
A total of 541 reports of officer assaults and injuries have And 55.2 per cent (44.6 per cent in 2006) said they would be
been made to the Force in the first nine months of this year. prepared to carry a firearm if it was decided all officers should be armed
This figure comes from the Force’s ICASS Data Summary on or off duty.
from 1 January to 30 September 2017. However, the greatest support (42.5 per cent) was for firearms to
The Home Office has also released statistics on the not be issued routinely to all officers, but for more to receive training
number of police officers assaulted in 2016/2017 across and be issued with firearms as and when needed.
England and Wales. Steve White, national chair of the Police Federation of England and
These reveal that in the West Midlands, there were 812 Wales, said: “Considering the threats we now face, the resources we
self-reported assaults recorded and 649 assaults without don’t have and the demand we can’t meet, we expected to see an
injury on a constable. increase in support for routine arming.
The Force was also one of 20 forces to voluntarily submit “Despite the atrocities seen this year, a terror threat that only goes
separate data on the total number of assaults on its officers up, never down, and prolonged pressure heaped on officers, they still
– including those involving injury – from its crime recording hold on to the principle of policing by consent, with two thirds of
system as part of a voluntary submission and reported 1,312 officers not wishing to be routinely armed if given the choice.”
in this category. You can read the full report on the survey at polfed.org
“The number of assaults on police officers is, of course, a
major concern,” says Steve Grange, secretary of West
Midlands Police Federation, “However I am also concerned
that there is still a great variation in the way in which forces
are recording assaults on their officers and staff. Work is
ongoing to ensure that all forces record these incidents
consistently; only when we get a complete picture of the
extent of this problem can we properly tackle it.”

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