Spit guards used 40 times by West Midlands Police in first month

The mesh guards are designed to stop offenders spitting at officers and were issued in response to calls to afford police greater protection from assaults.

The guards were issued to 4,500 officers across the force from December 12 at a cost of £11,000.

Figures show the first recorded use involved an officer giving a verbal warning that the guard would be used which turned out to be a deterrent enough to stop the person spitting.

The youngest person to have a spit guard fitted was 15, a teenager who allegedly spat in an officer’s face, while the oldest person was 53.

Of the 40 people, West Midlands Police say 27 - 68 per cent - were white, four were Asian, four were black and five were not classified.

Only one of the 40 was a woman.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "The introduction of spit guards has been a difficult, but necessary decision to protect our officers.

"The police protect the public, it is therefore important we protect our officers.

"Having examined the issue, I am reassured medically-approved spit guards are much safer than improvised alternatives that potentially put the detainee in danger. I am also re-assured that the use of spit guards remains rare, with 40 uses by 4,500 officers so far."

Chief Inspector Kerry Blakeman, from the force’s operations department, added: "The guards don’t stop the first spit but they do prevent other officers from being further assaulted in this way and offer innocent bystanders protection."

In 2016, 231 police officers in the West Midlands were spat on leaving them at risk of being infected with potentially deadly diseases.

Work by the Police Federation as part of their Protect the Protectors campaign found that the issue was massively under reported with officers wrongly believing assaults are just "part of the job."

As well as protecting officers and passers-by, the guards also reduce the level of force officers have to use on a spitting detainee.

Previously, the only method of stopping a spit attack was by using several officers to physically restrain the person.

The spit guards are made from a loose-fitting, net-like material, which also prevents biting. All officers issued with the equipment had to complete training on their safe fitting and will also have regular refresher training.

They are only fitted to a person who has already spat or who threatens to spit . When fitted, the wearer is constantly monitored and the guard removed at the earliest opportunity.