CPS labelled "absolutely disgusting" by Federation after case where an officer was left concussed is dropped

8 December 2022

CPS labelled "absolutely disgusting" by Federation after case where an officer was left concussed is dropped

It is “absolutely disgusting” that the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped a case where an officer was seriously assaulted and left concussed, Leicestershire Police Federation has said.

The CPS said it was “not in the public interest” to pursue the case. The Leicestershire officer who had been assaulted only found out over email that the case had been dropped.

Leicestershire Police Federation Chairman Adam Commons said: “I am furious. The CPS has absolutely no right to make a decision of this magnitude without speaking to the officer and either explaining their rationale or taking any further information into consideration.

“This smacks of a ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude, and there is no place for this in the criminal justice system. Our police officers are the heroes that people call to protect them, and yet there is no protection for them when they are viciously assaulted.”

The incident happened in April this year, when the officer was searching for a high-risk missing person. When the officer located the missing person and tried to detain them, as there were serious concerns over their welfare, the individual punched the officer twice to the side of the head and then struggled during arrest.

The officer began to feel sick and dizzy after the incident and attended hospital, where they were diagnosed with concussion and a broken finger from the struggle.

Adam continued: “Police officers do not go to work to be assaulted, they do their job to protect our communities and bring people to justice. What message does it send to the country when our protectors are ignored?”

893 Leicestershire Police officers were assaulted in the past financial year.