Assaults on West Midlands police treble in one year

There were 419 reports of police being attacked in 2013/14, but this rocketed to 1,406 the following year.

The force had the biggest rise in Britain, and second highest number of assaults of the 35 that responded, after the Police Service of Northern Ireland with 2,866.

A total of 13,984 officers were assaulted across the country – an average of 38 a day.

West Midlands bosses say the job 'carries risks' but they accept there have been too many attacks.

There have been a number of high profile attacks on police officers in recent months, with Superintendent Keith Fraser being pushed over and pinned to the ground by a mother-of-three when he intervened while off-duty as she struck a teenage woman.

Denise Dickens was given a 12-month community order and told to pay a total of £100 compensation to her victims.

And Sergeant Jon King was shot twice in the face at close range after he and his colleagues were called to help paramedics at a house in Rugeley.

Concerns have also been raised that the actual numbers could be even higher amid claims that assaults are not being recorded properly.

John Apter, chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation, has been a vocal critic of the current system for years.

He said: "The data we have now is only half the picture. We don't look after our officers, we don't record assaults on them in the right way, we don't investigate assaults on officers properly and we don't treat them as proper victims."

Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said he had raised the issue with Home Secretary Theresa May.

He added: "The federation and the Home Office are now working together to ensure we have a more robust process of collecting information from forces around the number of assaults on police officers."

West Midlands force spokesman Gina Lycett said: "Whilst one assault on an officer is one too many, the nature of policing carries some risk. However, in the West Midlands our officers are trained in personal safety techniques.

"They are also suitably equipped to ensure that they are able to discharge their duties as safely as possible in protecting our communities.

"We work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that those who commit assaults on members of West Midlands Police staff are brought to justice."

A Home Office spokesman said talks were ongoing with the Police Federation to improve the process of collecting data.