Page 2 - In Force Winter 2017_Neat

Assaults bill wins

unanimous

support from MPs

People who assault police staff and other on emergency service workers have been
emergency service workers could soon be accepted with little or no repercussions for
facing tougher sentences. perpetrators.
The Assaults on Emergency Workers “Looking forward, we hope the bill will
(Offences) Private Members’ Bill, continue to pass through Parliament so
introduced by Labour MP Chris Bryant, that our staff and officers have the
received cross party support during its protection they deserve and those
second reading in the House of Commons inflicting violence will receive harsher
in October and will now be scrutinised line sentences.”
by line by a committee of MPs. The bill will:
The bill will benefit police staff, police l Introduce new offences including
officers and other blue light personnel, wounding or assault when
giving them better protection in law when perpetrated against an emergency
assaulted and in the aftermath of such worker in the performance of their
experiences. duties
“We are pleased that MPs have got l Compel those suspected of assault
behind Chris Bryant and his Labour - including spitting - who may pose a
colleague Holly Lynch who have health risk to undergo blood tests Labour MP Chris Bryant.
championed a campaign for more to be l Make it an offence to refuse to
done to punish those who assault undergo such tests, and some traumatic personal accounts of
emergency service workers,” says Chris l Lay down tough sentences for those attacks on police, nurses, firefighters,
Hanrahan, Leicestershire Police UNISON convicted of these new offences. paramedics and more.
branch secretary. During the Commons debate on the In August, Leicestershire Police
“For too long now, assaults and attacks second reading of the bill, MPs heard of Federation released video footage of an
officer being assaulted as he dealt with a
“ FOR TOO LONG NOW, ASSAULTS AND ATTACKS ON welfare survey revealed there a potential
detainee in a Force custody suite.
The most recent national Federation

EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED WITH
2,416,455 attacks on staff, officers and
LITTLE OR NO REPERCUSSIONS FOR PERPETRATORS. WE HOPE blue light workers over a 12-month period
with ‘an assault every four minutes’.
A total of 243 Leicestershire Police
THE BILL WILL CONTINUE TO PASS THROUGH PARLIAMENT officers were assaulted on duty during
2016/2017 according to police recorded
SO THAT OUR STAFF AND OFFICERS HAVE THE PROTECTION crime statistics.
There also concerns that not all
THEY DESERVE AND THOSE INFLICTING VIOLENCE WILL assaults are reported or logged in a proper
manner leading to an incomplete picture
RECEIVE HARSHER SENTENCES. of the severity of the matter.
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