Harsher punishments needed to stop police being societys punch bags
Hampshire Police Federation (HPF) chairman John Apter has condemned lenient punishments for people who assault police after ten of the Constabularys officers were attacked in just two days.
Hampshire Police Federation (HPF) chairman John Apter has condemned lenient punishments for people who assault police after ten of the Constabularys officers were attacked in just two days.
Mr Apter, who is leading a nationwide assessment of officer assaults, said the public would be appalled to know the number of officers who are attacked every day across the country.
The most recent figures from HPFs survey revealed that 1,118 acts of violence against Hampshire Constabularys officers were recorded between April 2015 and March 2016, 305 of which caused injury.
Ten officers were assaulted over the last weekend (July 16-17) alone, three of whom required hospital treatment.
Reacting to this news, Mr Apter repeated his calls for harsher punishments for offenders.
Mr Apter said: I have no doubt that part of the reason some see assaulting a police officer as being acceptable is because of the lenient sentences often imposed by the courts.
I want to see mandatory prison sentences for anybody who assaults a public official. There must be a consequence for those intent on assaulting police officers or any other public worker.
They are not societys punch bags and they deserve the support of Government and the wider judicial system.
Hampshire Constabulary has been working with HPF to improve its recording practices since it emerged that 25 per cent of officers attacked do not record the incident.
Speaking at the Police Federation of England and Wales annual conference in May, Mr Apter called on chief constables to replicate his work across the country.
He has developed a seven-point plan to help forces make the necessary culture change, which was praised by the College of Policing for being an effective programme driven by the front line.
Mr Apter said: I make no apology for publishing these figures. It is important the public see the reality of policing and the level of violence used against our officers on a daily basis.
The vast majority of the public would be appalled at the number of police officers who are assaulted every day across the country.
Police officers perform a difficult and dangerous job on behalf of the public, being assaulted is not just part of the job and must never be seen as such.