Page 6 - WMPF Federation Magazine February / March 2018
P. 6

Assaults update

































                                                                                             Chief Constable Dave
                                                                                             Thompson addressing last
                                                                                             year’s Police Federation
                                                                                             conference in Birmingham.


       Officer assaults:







       Chief makes it







       personal











               ith two West Midlands Police   campaign on officer assaults which included   often the first and last line of defence. Our
               officers or staff being assaulted,   us taking officers to the Federation national   officers will always do the right thing and
       Wracially or verbally abused every   conference and Parliament last year to talk   routinely put themselves in harm’s way to
       day, the Federation has welcomed the Chief   about how they felt when they were   protect the public, but we need to bring to
       Constable’s personal commitment to   assaulted or spat at by a member of the   justice criminals who think that it is okay to
       highlight the impact these attacks are having   public.”                  abuse and hit out.
       on his workforce.                       The personal impact statement will be      “Time off recovering from a senseless
          Chief Constable Dave Thompson     used during sentencing and allows the judge   attack is time taken away from the very
       announced in January that a personal impact   to take into consideration the impact the   communities that need them policing their
       statement will be submitted where those   assault has had on the Force, the officer’s   streets and protecting them.
       who attack the police are brought to courts.  family and the public. It will be used in      “All too often police officers and staff are
          “I am pleased to see the Chief getting   conjunction with statements from the victim.  subjected to assaults and threats. While the
       involved with this,” says Tom Cuddeford, chair      Mr Thompson said: “We are stepping up   severity of such attacks changes, the impact
       of West Midlands Police Federation, “It comes   to highlight the impact of assaults on our   upon society does not. It is never acceptable
       on the back of our own Protect the Protectors   communities. Officers, PCSOs and staff are   to assume that assaults upon police officers


       06      federation February/March 2018                                       www.westmidspolfed.com
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