Force launches new 10-point plan on assaults and hate crime

14 January 2021

The Force has published a new 10-point plan on officer and staff assaults.

The new plan also extends to those who have been the victim of hate crimes.

“We welcome the fact that the assaults plan has been reviewed and updated,” says Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police Federation, “There is a growing awareness of the provisions of the 10-point plan but we want each and every officer and member of staff to be familiar with it so we can ensure that everyone is fully informed about how the Force should respond if someone is the victim of an assault or a hate crime while serving their communities.

“No one should be assaulted or be subjected to a hate crime because of the job they carry out but it is essential that when these attacks do occur our officers and staff are treated in the same way as we would respond to a member of the public.”

The release of the new plan was announced at the latest Force assaults meeting which was led by Temporary ACC Claire Bell who has released a blog to launch the new assaults portal.

She says: “The assault figures are unacceptable and we must work harder as a Force to protect our officers and staff. If you ask anyone why they joined West Midlands Police the majority of us would say to make a difference, to protect people from harm and that at our core we are proud of what we do.

“We need to remember these reasons when we are dealing with colleagues who have become victims of crime. We need to offer the same care and compassion we would to any victim of crime, we need to stand together and look after each other. We are all in this together.”

The Force has also produced an assaults leaflet which will be given to officers and staff who are victims of assaults or hate crimes.

And it is launching an “It’s Unacceptable…” campaign which will highlight the fact that these attacks are unacceptable and also explain how it is supporting victims. The Federation has helped the Force produce case studies featuring officers talking about their experiences.

The assaults meeting also included an update on the National Police Chiefs’ Council Officer Safety Review which is due to come into effect in spring next year.

Jon explained: “This will change the way that officer safety training is delivered. The Force is in a good place with a large number of the recommendations already in place and the remainder being worked towards.

“There was also a discussion around vehicle extraction, something that, as a Federation, we have repeatedly raised our concerns about. I expressed our dismay at the delays in introducing what we consider suitable training; training that could help prevent our officers being injured.

“T/ACC Bell understood our point of view and agreed we needed to know more. Sadly, there was still no clarity about whether vehicle extraction would be covered in the new syllabus for officer safety training when this is implemented in the spring."