‘Combatting violence against officers is Federation’s top priority’
11 November 2020
National chair John Apter says the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) will continue to campaign for tough sentences to deter attacks on officers.
There were 30,000 assaults against officers in the past year, a rise of more than five per cent, and John says the Federation is determined to make policing safer for members.
“These figures come as no surprise,” he said, “Every time statistics come out, they show there’s been an increase in the number of officers who have been assaulted.
“Any assault on an officer is totally unacceptable and to see the number increasing is extremely concerning.
“Combatting violence against police officers is at the top of the Federation’s agenda – and mine.
“PFEW has done a lot of work on this and continues to do so – whether that is the Protect the Protectors campaign to pushing for a Police Covenant to provide better protections for officers.”
He added: “The Federation’s Protect the Protectors’ campaign successfully brought about the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 which saw the maximum penalty for assaulting an emergency worker increased from six to 12 months and, this year, the bringing forward of a new law to increase that maximum from 12 months to two years.
“In addition to this, we’ve also been lobbying the Sentencing Council to make sure this two-year maximum is fully utilised to deter attacks on blue light workers.”
John’s comments came in a Q & A session, featured on the national Federation website, in which he highlighted the Federation’s campaigning work to protect members in their jobs and included a focus on the value of protective equipment such as Taser and spit guards.
